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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Lyoto Machida demolished C.B. Dollaway with a body kick on Saturday night, re-establishing why he remains one of the elite competitors in the middleweight division.
He understands he's not getting a title shot in his next fight, so instead he's looking for a fight that can get him back there. To that end, the fight that is gaining steam is one against Luke Rockhold, and Machida said after the event that he's very much interested in that matchup.
"Luke Rockhold has credentials in the UFC, so maybe a fight against him would be excellent," Machida stated at the post-fight press conference (via MMAJunkie.com). "It could be Luke Rockhold or another. I'm prepared to face anyone."
"My last fight had been long, so this fight was short to compensate a bit. Seriously, C.B. is a tough guy, but the blow came in the right place, and he fell. I would now like to make a fight to take me for a new title fight."
Penick's Analysis: Machida-Rockhold makes a lot of sense, giving the winner a very real case for a shot at the Chris Weidman-Vitor Belfort winner. It depends on how quick the fight can come together, and the UFC may still have Jacare Souza as their preferred choice if he beats Yoel Romero at UFC 184. Still, it's a great fight to make, and either launches Rockhold into the title fight he believes he deserves, or gives Machida the win that is worthy of another title fight of his own.
[Lyoto Machida art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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