It's coming up soon who do you got ? I got Machida but even though I don't think Rampage is that committed anymore he can still be a threat with his power and chin. Machida should win a UD though but you never know how the knockout affected him.
Rampage never lived the life of a professional athlete,he got away with it because of his youth and talent but now its not going to fly.
I really can't see Rampage winning this one, unless machida is REALLY affected by his loss to shogun. Machida will dart in and out all night, with rampage looking for one big shot while doing nothing to set it up. The only way QJ makes it interesting is if he uses his wrestling, which he hasn't done for ages. Machida has very good take down defense though, and probably won't have trouble keeping himself upright. It's not a good match-up for rampage.
I see machida picking him apart if he stays out of the way and picks his shots. If he tries to trade with page, he loses.
Rampage is done, his last few performances have all been bad. Sure, he alway's had an excuses, but still, 3 bad performances in a row hint strongly at a fighter in decline. Machida, who'm I fell his striking is very overrated, will outpoint this Rampage.
There is not one single area that Rampage has an advantage with the exception of punching power. Even his wrestling has slipped to the point that I wouldn't give him a clear advantage in that category. It will be an interesting fight simple because I will be curious to see how Machida reacts to his first loss. That being said, he should win an easy decision.
It would be funny if Machida laid him out though. I remember Rampage making a lot of jokes on TUF at Rashad's expense about being knocked out conscious by Machida
I'm 100% rooting for Rampage, but don't think he has enough left to win this one. I'm hoping he lands a bomb like the Wandy fight but fully expect Machida to outpoint him.
Rampage is Waaaaaaaaaaaay Tooooooooooo INCONSISTENT to B Favored Over ANY Elite Level Lightheavy...He'll have a Punchers Chance to KO Machida @ ANY Point of ANY Round, but the Smart Money HAS to B On Machida by UD... REED:dancingBaby:
If Machida uses his movement and pecks away, he wins. If Rampage connects consistently, he wins. My guess is Machida wins a decision, probably unanimous. Rampage has the power, but he has no movement and he doesn't throw leg kicks, which is his only way to slow Machida unless he rushes him unexpectedly. Machida, however, is likely gonna stay away from him and follow the gameplan that has worked for so many others: legkicks, movement, avoid ground game. I expect we'll start to hear a lot of boos.
I agree with every single one of you gentlemen. Machida will slowly, patiently and methodically chop Rampage down with legkicks and jabs off of his back foot in an offensive/defensive striking technique. Rampage, who gets frustrated easily these days, will lack the mental aptitude to keep cool and will start throwing bombs. Machida is sooooo incredibly elusive that Rampage will only have a wild haymakers chance. Machida by unexciting (but very beautiful and technical) UD 30-27 on all cards.
Yep. And Rampage hasn't shown that he's capable of applying the kind of pressure that Shogun did to open Machida's defense up to land big shots. I think Rampage knows that he doesn't match up well with Machida. He's been talking trash about him for a long time, well before their fight was scheduled. He doesn't want to fight such a boring fighter, he runs too much, etc.
What do you guys feel Rampage could do to win this fight? I'd like to see him try to score some TD's, he is probably the bigger and stronger of the two. Maybe a nice old school Rampage slam. I think he is going to need to bully machida to have any chance.
If he is relentless like he can be, he should get a hold of Machida and pound him out. He has to keep going forward. That's why Rashad lost, he was on his bike. Rua KTFO Machida by being smart and going forward.:mj:
Yeah, but when's the last time Rampage attacked anyone relentlessly. Hell Griffin doesn't hit hard enough to "bust a grape" in Jackson's own words yet he didn't even attack him with any vigor. I agree that it is a great game plan. Unfortunately it isn't a game plan Rampage can carry out any longer.
His wrestling is a good start, but he hasn't shown that he wants to use it anymore. It's not a safe bet anyway, as Machida has reliable TDD. If he wants to have success in the stand-up, he needs to set things up and apply smart aggression, break Machida's rhythm. It'll be interesting to see what Machida's state of mind will be like in this fight. He was brutally knocked out last time around, so he's a bit of a wild card in some respects.
http://www.mmatko.com/rampage-jackson-talks-lyoto-machida-fight-with-karyn-bryant/ This is what I am talking about. Rampage doesn't sound confident in the least. It's unfortunate, because I don't think he would act this way if this fight happened 5 years ago. I don't think I've ever seen him act like this towards a future opponent.
machida should be favored, but he's coming off a devastating KO loss. if he has any doubts, then rampage should be able to exploit and knock him out. i think it's a toss up fight, but i'm assuming machida has regrouped and wins via decision.
Exactly... "Rampage" is a BRAND these Days...He's Gonna B the "Hood Brother" w/the Juicy QUOTES, but he's Gonna HALFASS his Way thru Training & Either BARELY Win or Lose in a Manner that DOESN'T Completely Hurt his Marketability...That's who he's Been for the Last Couple Years.... @ SOME Point, Rampage will Get Kicked Out of UFC, then he'll Milk ANOTHER 2-3 Years Out of Strikeforce.... REED:mj:
Agreed, Rampage hasn't looked legit in years to be honest. Machida is an overrated Karate nerd but he should win a clear decision over Rampage, with Page just plodding forward not doing much, and being picked off etc.
I'm gonna guess that you're a boxing purist with very little regard toward MMA as a combat sport. To call Machida overrated is foolish. With the exception of 1 opponent (Shogun), he has embarassed everybody he's ever faced. May not always be exciting but he makes everybody look like a scrub. AND he's faced a Murderers Row since he came into prominence. I agree with Bob - PLEASE EXPLAIN!!!:dunno:
I think it is important to remember that Machida had never lost a single round in the UFC until Rua. And from a career perspective, he has some decent names on his resume.
