UFC Light Heavyweight Bout: Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
Odds: (-335 Machida / +255 Bader )
Betting Pick: Machida
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In the semi-main event, former Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will square off against heavy-handed wrestler Ryan “Darth”Bader in a very interesting style clash. Machida has dropped three of his last four fights, with the sole in that stretch being his legendary front kick KO of former Light Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Famer Randy Couture. Still, his counter punching style, pinpoint accuracy, and masterful footwork make him a difficult opponent to deal with. Bader, 2-2 in his last four fights, has seen his momentum derailed a bit recently but is coming off two very impressive wins. This is going to come down to whether or not Bader has enough wrestling to put Machida on his back and hold him there, because although he is a powerful puncher, I don’t like his chances of successfully chasing Machida around the Octagon without getting pasted by counter punches and tired out.
Ryan “Darth” Bader looked like one of the Light Heavyweight Division’s most promising up and comers, but was eclipsed by current champion Jon “Bones” Jones and suffered a huge setback against Tito Ortiz immediately after. He has rebounded nicely with two good wins in a row, but against Machida he is going to have to fight very carefully. One of Bader’s best tools is his ability to complement his wrestling with big power punches, but if he gets wild against Machida or settles into a stand up fight too comfortably, he is going to pay the price. Machida is notorious for letting guys chase him, wear themselves out, and softening them up with lightning-fast counter punches before pouncing for the win, and Bader is going to have to pick his spots carefully to avoid falling into that trap. Machida is definitely able to betaken down, and if anyone can do it is Bader, but he is going to have to work hard to avoid letting Machida back up and especially to prevent leaving his neck open for a guillotine, which he has succumbed to twice in his last four fights.
Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is, as you may have heard Joe Rogan mention a time or two, an extremely elusive and dangerous striker with a unique counter punching style. His Footwork is beautiful, and he is better than anyone in the sport at landing meaningful strikes while moving fully backward. Machida’s biggest problem is that he is too comfortable fighting a defensive fight, and if his opponents won’t commit to chasing him around, his fights tend to devolve into cat and mouse games without much significant action. Against Bader there is no question that Machida will be the more accomplished striker, so he just has to fight carefully to avoid getting taken down and controlled. If this fight plays out on the feet, Machida’sspeed advantage and superior accuracy will be more than enough to keep Bader under control.
This is a somewhat tough fight to call. Bader has knockout power but is unlikely to catch Machida on the feet, and Machida has knockout power but prefers to backpedal and fight for points usually. On the one hand, allowing Bader to hang around could be courting disaster, but on the other Machida’s hard-to-catch style could well tire Bader out and neutralize his wrestling. If Bader can secure take downs early and set the tone, he will be in a great position to win here, but I think that Machida is ultimately too slippery, and will outpoint Bader handily on the feet for a unanimous decision victory.
Prediction: Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida by Unanimous Decision.
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