ROCK 107 - Quinte's Classic Rock

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(Courtesy of ufc.com) Former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida clash on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 123. Jackson is not shy about the fact that he is not overly excited about the matchup. He views Machida as a defense-first fighter that hunts and pecks his way to victory, and Jackson prefers to face someone who will stand and slug with him. Thus, he looks at the fight as a necessary evil if he wants to return to the top of the 205-pound mountain and reap the rewards that come along with occupying that post. Machida seems more intrigued by the fight. He wants to continue testing himself against the very best fighters in the world (and he openly acknowledges Jackson as being one of the very best) as he continues his quest to personify bushido. The journey toward becoming the perfect martial artist is more important to Machida than gold belts or money. That is why he is so excited about spending up to 15 minutes locked in a cage with destroyer like Jackson, where the slightest mistake can lead to a brutal knockout loss. What I know for certain is that both men are coming off of disappointing losses, and neither can afford to suffer a second consecutive defeat without taking a major step backward in the UFC's most competitive division. Guys like Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Ryan Bader, Jon Jones, and Rashad Evans are the 205-pound elite, standing right behind reigning champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. None of those guys are riding a two-fight losing streak. Just saying. The winner of Jackson-Machida will not only remain firmly entrenched among the division's Preferiti, he may, indeed, stand first among them. If Jackson wants to win this fight, he needs to take Machida out of his comfort zone by pushing the pace right from Jump Street. He must force Machida to plant his feet and fight. If that happens, he certainly has the ability to drop the Machida in sudden, emphatic fashion. That may seem a bit counterintuitive because Machida is an expert counterstriker. He needs an opponent to attack in order to create openings for him to land fight-ending blows. Otherwise, he will dart in and out in pot-shotting fashion, content to score a unanimous decision win without taking any real risks. Breaking that down a bit, Machida has a very awkward style. He basically stands with his shoulders perpendicular to his opponent, which is a traditional Karate stance, with his weight well behind his center point and his upper body noticeably leaning toward his back foot. That is all designed to make him difficult to hit. It has nothing to do with putting him in the proper position to launch an assault. In fact, it makes it more difficult for him to attack, and but for his absurd quickness, it is a stance that would likely render him completely ineffective as an offensive fighter. Machida isn't trying to be effective offensively. Not in the traditional sense, at least. He instead uses his stance to feint in exaggerated form from a safe distance. He uses quick jab steps and sudden exaggerated shoulder movements in very herky-jerky movements to set the distance and pace of the fight.

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