Lyoto Machida has always been a fighter that I enjoy watching, which I know isn’t something that everyone can say. Early Lyoto Machida especially was very technical, with Lyoto looking to have as little holes in his game as possible. This led to Antonio Inoki slapping Lyoto Machida in his debut fight for not finishing his opponent and led to a lot of fights that went to a decision in his UFC career, but somewhere along the way things changed.
It turns out that Lyoto Machida listened to criticism from fans and everyone else and became a more exciting fighter to please everyone else. What a guy. [source]
“I want to do well for my fans, I want to do well for my promoters, and I just want to improve,” Machida told MMAjunkie Radio. “There’s always that pressure.”
“I just listened to my fans, and I’m always trying to improve and bring something to them because I want to listen to people who want to see me do well. The knockout really happens when there is an opportunity.”
“I always try to adapt to each opponent. You always have to have new tricks, and there’s always got to be something new.”