For those of you who aren't familiar with Lyoto Machida, you're definitely missing out. The typical UFC fan more than likely hasn't viewed Machida with much interest outside of his fight against Tito Ortiz. I really think that this is a shame. Lyoto is more-or-less in the same boat as Fedor to American fans as far as popularity goes. When you see Machida, you may not see the typical "badass" figure. His shoulders aren't very broad, his face not very defined and his style doesn't appear to be very explosive or entertaining.

While on the surface, someone may view Lyoto Machida as a boring, defensive fighter - There is a flip side. To an experienced fighter or a fan who has above-par knowledge of the sport, Lyoto really does deserve the nickname, "The Dragon." When I see Lyoto, I see an explosive Karate striker who is extremely frustrating and hard to deal with to the typical boxer. I see an awkward stance and awkward angels which impose much confusion on his opponents. I see dangerous Jiu Jitsu and Judo, capable of throwing top tier wrestlers onto their backs with ease. I see a solid chin with great head movement and evasive techniques.

If you're not familiar, watch this video and continue reading the post underneath.

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Now for those who see Machida as the force that he is, here's my real question. Do you think his career is destined to be on the undercard? I honestly can't see the typical Pay Per View purchaser purchasing a $50 program to watch someone like Lyoto fight, which is a true shame because he deserves much more than he is receiving. It really comes down to the marketability, and it is easier to market a **** talking, wild puncher with KO losses on his record than a quite literally error-less fighter with a foreign style.

Such a shame, I really hope stuff works out in a way that helps Lyoto Machida receive more exposure.

i really enjoyed seeing machida beat up tito ortiz

i don't think so, over his last couple of fights he's been much more aggressive then he normally is (gives u an idea of how slow he used to fight) which shows that he knows he needs to be more exciting, and thats half the battle right there. i don't think it will be an immediate change but over time i think he'll become more exciting.

personally, i've always enjoyed watching him fight but a lot of mma fans can't appreciate the intricacies of an extremly technical fighter.

I honestly believe that if he were to become champion he would probably have a nice reign. However, it would probably be a very boring and frustrating to watch. Lyoto strikes me as the type of guy who would be like Tim Sylvia during his second reign, basically do what it took to win without taking many if any risks at all. And in all honesty I wouldn't enjoy that at all. I wouldn't expect him to be a BJ Penn or Chuck Liddell or Anderson Silva or any of the dominant champions of recent memory who went out and went for the kill. I can't see Lyoto being that way as a champion. Plus he hasn't had a real career defining match. Sure he's beat a who's who of fighters on his record. But he hasn't got that fight or two on his record which was a real war of attrition and that sticks out when you think of him. I mean in all honesty his most difficult match he's had so far was against BJ Penn, and he's a frigging LW. But all he did for that fight was nullify BJ's attacks and get the win on points.

I agree with Bricks sentiment that the hardcore fan who knows the ins and outs of techniques and whatnot enjoy Lyoto from a purist point of view. But in all honesty I don't really enjoy it, I just appreciate them. When I pay my money to see a fight I wanna see a fight. It doesn't have to be a toe-to-toe war on the feet or a rapid ground fighting exchange, but it has to be a fight. Lyoto doesn't seem like the type of guy who will get into a real hard fight unless he really has to which is really a testament to how good his style of fighting is. But what it boils down to is a simple case of true talent but next to no excitement.