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Tag: lyoto machida

  • GFL Team Manager Lyoto Machida Doesn’t Rule Out MMA Comeback At 46

    GFL Team Manager Lyoto Machida Doesn’t Rule Out MMA Comeback At 46

    Lyoto Machida will serve as a team manager in the debut year of the Global Fight League (GFL) — but that doesn’t mean he has ruled out a return to competition as a fighter.

    A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Machida made his mark with a unique fighting style heavily influenced by Shotokan karate, which he began training in at a young age. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2009 when he captured the UFC light heavyweight title by defeating Rashad Evans. Throughout his career, Machida secured wins over notable opponents such as Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson.

    After a successful run at 205 pounds, Machida moved down to middleweight, where he remained a top contender but never reclaimed championship gold. Toward the end of his career, he also competed in Bellator MMA. Now, he takes on a new role with GFL, a team-based MMA league set to launch in April 2025.

    “They invited me as an athlete, but I said, ‘No, I’m away for some time, and I’d rather come in as a manager,’” Machida told MMA Fighting. “I want to see how it goes, the changes in the organization. I saw the signings—a lot of people getting signed—but we want to see it happening.

    “I believe it’s going to be a great league, and it will help the sport. You can’t just have one [organization], right? Competition is good, and that’s what we hope for as fighters and coaches. It opens more doors. For example, ‘Dede’ [Pederneiras] has several athletes who aren’t in the UFC but have the skills to be there, so maybe another door opens. But it’s all very new to me, just like it is for you.”

    Although Machida is embracing his managerial role, he isn’t completely closing the door on a return to the cage.

    “I came in as a manager, but I’m not taking away the possibility of fighting,” Machida said. “I’m not saying I won’t fight again. It’s not like that. But it’s not a priority for me. It’s a new promotion, I want to see it happen, so I wanted to come in as a manager first to see how it works. I’ve never been on this side before. What would make me fight again is maybe a challenge, something that made sense for me,” Machida said. “Someone from the same generation? OK, it could happen, but it can’t just be anything or any fight. You have to know your place and moment. This is not the time to fight a 25-, 30-year-old. Not that. It’s the moment to do the right fight, if it has to happen. But right now, it’s not a priority.”

  • Lyoto Machida Denies Being Put Into A Coma By Knockout Loss To Yoel Romero

    Lyoto Machida Denies Being Put Into A Coma By Knockout Loss To Yoel Romero

    Yoel Romero recently made a surprising claim about the lasting impact of his fight against Lyoto Machida.

    Once a top contender who faced many of MMA’s elite, Romero suggested that his 2015 knockout victory over Machida had severe consequences for “The Dragon.”

    Speaking on Mike Perry’s OverDogs Podcast, Romero alleged that Machida “wasn’t the same” after their fight, claiming the former UFC champion suffered “brutal damage” and even went into a coma. Romero said he was so concerned that he reached out to Machida’s management team for updates on his condition. He used the alleged incident to highlight the extreme risks fighters take inside the cage.

    However, Machida quickly refuted Romero’s claims, telling MMA Fighting that the story was entirely inaccurate.

    “I heard about [Romero’s comments], but I didn’t watch [the video],” Machida said. “But that’s not true at all. What happened was I broke my nose in that fight and had surgery. But there was no coma or anything like that. That never happened.”

    Machida dismissed the idea that he suffered serious long-term damage, pointing to his extensive fighting career after the Romero bout.

    “It makes no sense that a fighter would get in a coma and then fight like 20 times after that,” Machida laughed. “I had nose surgery because I broke my nose. I had to stay in Miami for a week — because I lived in Los Angeles and couldn’t fly with the nasal packing. That’s basically what happened. It’s normal stuff for us that fight, right?”

    After his loss to Romero, Machida competed nine more times as a professional, winning four of those bouts. He eventually retired from MMA in 2022 after a knockout loss to Fabian Edwards in Bellator.

  • Yoel Romero Claims He Put Lyoto Machida Into A Coma With UFC Knockout

    Yoel Romero Claims He Put Lyoto Machida Into A Coma With UFC Knockout

    Yoel Romero has made a startling claim regarding former opponent Lyoto Machida.

    While he’s now nearly 50 and past his prime, Romero was once regarded as an extremely dangerous competitor. Throughout his career, the Cuban faced some of the biggest names in MMA but never secured a championship, though he came close on multiple occasions.

    During an appearance on Mike Perry’s OverDogs Podcast, Romero revealed that his knockout victory over Machida had serious, lasting consequences for “The Dragon.” They met in June 2015 at a UFC Fight Night event, where Romero finished him in the third round.

    “Lyoto was too worn out,” he said. “Let’s put it this way — after he fought me, he wasn’t the same. He suffered brutal damage. You know he was in a coma, right? He was in a coma. I was worried about him. I kept talking to his managers because he was in a coma. That’s why I respect any gladiator that does this, because your life is at risk, bro.”

    Following his loss to Romero, Machida went on to compete nine more times as a professional, winning four of those bouts. He retired from MMA in 2022 after a knockout loss to Fabian Edwards in Bellator.

    “Soldier of God,” meanwhile, is coming off a knockout win in Dirty Boxing and is currently part of the Global Fight League roster.

  • Lyoto Machida Plans To Test Free Agency After Final Bellator Fight

    Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida says he still has the desire to fight again.

    Machida is set to fight out his Bellator contract in his next fight, and he revealed he plans to test free agency after that.

    “[Bellator] came to us and said, ‘Let’s renew [the contract] one more time if Lyoto wants to,’ and whatever, and we said no, let’s fight this one first and then we’ll see,” Machida said to MMAFighting. “Every fight is a different fight for me. I saw it that way in the past, and even more now.”

    Although Lyoto Machida says he wants to fight again, he isn’t sure where it will be. He says he wants to be challenged and doesn’t want any easy fights to end his career.

    Lyoto Machida
    Fernando Quiles Jr., MMA News

    Not only does he want to be challenged, but the former UFC champion says he wants to be the one to retire from MMA, not being forced out as many veterans are. He still believes he is competing at a high level at 43-years-old but is on a three-fight losing streak.

    “I don’t want to end it like most people end their careers,” said Machida. “I want to get to a point and say, ‘Well, I think I’m good.’ I don’t want other people telling me, ‘Lyoto, I you can’t do it anymore,’ or whatever. The way I feel and train, I’m the one that decides. We must have the opportunity to fight, of course. I might know how to wire walk, but there’s no point if I don’t have the wire. I want to continue fighting. I don’t know if [I’ll do] three or four more fights.

    “When I was younger, 10 years ago, I was taught to fight every fight as if it was my last; ‘Lyoto, a samurai enters a fight as if it’s last fight.’ You must give your all in training and in the fight, mentally speaking. And now, more than ever, I can’t come here imagining I’ll have three, four, five fights. Every fight is like my last fight. Not in a sense of ending my career, but in the sense of giving my all. And that’s when I’ll make my decision. The fire is still burning inside me and that’s what matters the most. I want to innovate. I want to create a different game. I want to do different things that give me a different experience. And [I want to] fight.”

    When and who Machida fights next is uncertain, but it may be his final fight in Bellator.

    Who would you like to see Lyoto Machida face next?