It’s difficult not to be impressed by Lyoto Machida’s UFC Middleweight debut against Mark Munoz. Munoz seems to be one of the measuring sticks within the Middleweight division and Machida made it look like a walk in the park to defeat the very tough Munoz. That is not a small feat. Lyoto Machida has now found a new home within his third weight class and it looks like he might be there for a while, being a serious force to be reckoned with.
At the post-fight presser this weekend Dana White was asked who he thought Lyoto Machida should fight next and while it looks like he isn’t ready to rush him to a title shot just yet, White does seem to want to put him in a title eliminator, which is really rad. I mean, that’s what a fight with Vitor Belfort would be, right?
“It was huge. Huge. I think, and I’m just talking here as a fan, not as a promoter, I think a lot of people want to see him and Vitor Belfort. That would be a fun fight. Vitor’s got to win down in Brazil. And who knows – [Machida] could fight someone else before that. But I’m just saying, as a fan, and speaking for many fans, that’s the fight they want to see. At least that’s what everyone was screaming at me on the way out of the arena tonight.”
Then Machida fielded a question:
“I don’t know [who I want to fight next],” Machida said. “My boss, he can decide.”
“He said he wants to fight Vitor Belfort – that’s what he said,” White responded.