According to Franklin McNeil on MMA Live’s UFC 94 live weigh-in coverage today, if Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets past Keith Jardine at UFC 96 he will be next in line for a shot at Rashad Evans’ UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

Many MMA experts have suggested for some time now that Lyoto Machida who is 13-0, 5-0 in the UFC, is past due a shot at the light heavyweight crown. Machida will face Thiago Silva who is also 13-0, 4-0 in the UFC, tomorrow night at UFC 94. It was heavily speculated that if Machida defeats Silva over the weekend then surely he would get his shot, but apparently not.

So why is the 29-7, 4-1 in the UFC, Rampage Jackson considered the number one contender above Machida in they eyes of the UFC brass? One reason could be the way in which Machida wins. Yes he is 5-1 in the UFC but four of those wins came by decision (unanimous). On the other hand, three of Rampage’s four UFC wins have come by (T)KO.

This all goes back to the debate of the UFC being more sport or entertainment.  The general consensus has been that Lyoto Machida’s style is not “fan friendly.” It’s not considered “exciting” by many. Yes four of his five UFC fights have been won by decision, but they were unanimous. Can we say that Machida “deserves” the title shot before Rampage? Probably so, but without a UFC ranking system it is all subjective. One thing is not subjective though, Rampage has lost and Machida has not lost.

Now if Lyoto Machida defeats Thiago Silva this weekend and beats him decisively and hypothetically for argument’s sake Rampage loses to Keith Jardine at UFC 96, then it would seem practically mandatory the UFC give Lyoto Machida a crack at the light heavyweight title. But then again, with Chuck and Shogun going at in April, it wouldn’t be surprising if they found a way to put the winner of that fight against Rashad.

One thought on “Lyoto Machida gets the shaft again”
  1. Keep in mind the UFC kind of owes the former champion a break after he got hosed in the decision against Forrest and had a mental meltdown.

    Did Forrest probably win that fight on points? Yes.

    Did Forrest decisively take the championship from Rampage? No.

    I’ve never seen judges side with the challenger in a title fight that goes to decision, especially one that could have gone either way.

    In the end it comes down to both the bottom line and marketability. Rampage has a very popular persona and someone that can help put butts in seats. Lyoto has never proven to be a draw and his elusiveness is not what most fans want to see. I wouldn’t look at it as Lyoto getting shafted and more so of Lyoto not earning his title shot.

    The UFC has been quite clear in it’s message of wanting exciting fights that go either way vs. a stagnant fight with a boring win.

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