UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida

Chris Weidman (11-0) vs. Lyoto Machida (21-4)

Undefeated Chris Weidman looks to retain his middleweight championship as he goes up against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Weidman has never lost in the octagon, with his past two victories coming against one of the UFC’s best fighters of all time, Anderson Silva. However, there are some who still question how great Weidman truly is. Both of those fights ended early in the second round, with the last one ending with Silva breaking his leg while kicking Weidman. However, every time Weidman has entered the octagon, he has taken care of business. Besides the two wins against Silva, he also has victories against Mark Munoz and Demian Maia. However, he will be facing another very difficult matchup as he goes toe-to-toe with Lyoto Machida. "The Dragon" Machida has gotten things back on track, winning his past two fights after a loss to Phil Davis. In his last victory against Gegard Mousasi on Feb. 15, he lost the significant striking advantage 36-28 and had to hang on to get the unanimous decision victory. The 36-year-old Machida has a ton of experience and has been in many big fights in his career, and this may be the last opportunity for him to get a chance at a belt. While Machida will be ready to go, WEIDMAN is simply too good right now to lose this fight.

Of his 11 career victories, Weidman has won by knockout in five of those matches. He also has three wins by both submission and decision, with five of his victories coming in the first round. The 30-year-old New York native has a ton of talent, and has the ability to win any kind of match. Weidman will have a big advantage when it comes to striking, landing 3.15 significant strikes per minute in his career, compared to just 2.64 for Machida. While he is not as accurate landing those strikes (55% for Machida, 42% for Weidman), he is extremely powerful with his punches. Weidman also has a huge advantage when it comes to grappling, posting a takedown average of 4.0, compared to just 1.5 for Machida. Weidman was a two-time All-American wrestler at Hofstra University and defeated both Phil Davis and Ryan Bader in his college wrestling career. Saturday is the opportunity for the 6-foot-2 Weidman (one inch taller than Machida) to quiet his critics, however, it will not be easy against Machida.

"The Dragon" Machida has 21 victories in his career, with 11 of those wins coming by way of decision. His conditioning is terrific for the sport, where he has the cardio to go the entire fight with nearly anybody in the sport. However, the Brazilian has shown the ability to win any match, tallying eight knockout victories in his career, with another two coming by way of submission. The biggest advantage Machida has is the experience in the sport. Many times in UFC championship matches, the experience between the fighters heavily favors the champion. However, this is not the case in this match, as Machida has been in more big fights than Weidman in his career. At 36 years old, this may be Machida’s final opportunity to get the title. If he is able to take this fight into the championship rounds, then he has a real chance to seize the middleweight belt.