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It isn’t for a title; it isn’t even a PPV headliner, but the middleweight showdown between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (20-4) and Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi (34-3-2) has all the makings of an instant classic. Scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night in Brazil on Feb. 15, two of the most technical strikers in all of MMA will decide who is next in line for a title shot after Vitor Belfort gets his chance against champion Chris Weidman later this year.
Mousasi, a professional kickboxer turned MMA fighter, enters the contest on a seven-fight unbeaten run stretching across three different MMA promotions. The fight with Machida will mark the 40th of his career, but at just 28 years old, Mousasi is sure to be a fixture of the UFC’s middleweight division for many years to come.
Before joining the now defunct Strikeforce organization, Mousasi spent much of his career fighting in Japan, first for PRIDE FC and later for DREAM, a promotion created by former PRIDE executives several years after the UFC purchased the original company. A fine blend of technical kick boxing and a slick submission game saw Mousasi win both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles in DREAM, along with a Grand Prix victory in each weight class. Wins over notable opponents such as Hector Lombard, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and slugger Melvin Manhoef caught the attention of a wider audience and Mousasi was granted a title fight with Renato Sobral in Strikerforce after DREAM formed an alliance with the American promotion. Sobral was defeated comfortably in the first round and Mousasi went on to fight four more times for Strikeforce before the organization was purchased by the UFC. Little-known Swedish fighter Iliar Latifi was a late injury replacement for Alexander Gustaffson in Mousasi’s UFC debut, a fight controlled by the Dutchman who stayed out of range and jabbed his way to a lop-sided decision victory.
Machida is a new addition to the middleweight division after a successful six-year spell at light heavyweight culminated in a UFC record of 11-4 and a brief stint as division champion. He made his middleweight debut last October against training partner Mark Munoz in Manchester, England. Machida was a late replacement for the injured Michael Bisping and made the drop to 185 pounds earlier than anticipated. He finished Munoz midway through the opening round with a brutal head kick knockout, the second of his career after stopping Randy Couture with a crane kick at UFC 129.
Machida’s karate style against Mousasi’s high-level kick boxing makes this an incredibly intriguing contest. Both men are counter-punchers so it will be interesting to see who turns the aggressor, while the Sumo background of the Brazilian and Judo roots of Mousasi may play a part in this blockbuster matchup next month.
David Lewis is a content writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @David_C_Lewis91, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
