Lyoto Machida has worked himself back to being the #1 contender for the Light Heavy weight championship, but an injury to champ Jon Jones could derail his title hopes.
Machida has fought Jon Jones once before and the end result was Machida being choked out by Jones’ standing Guillotine.
Since that defeat Machida has defeated Ryan Bader and Dan Henderson respectively. Machida’s manager Ed Soares made it clear that his fighter deserves another title shot, but would be willing to take on other fights if Jones isn’t healed until November.
“If Jon Jones can fight in like August or September, then Lyoto would love to fight for the title.”
Soares went on to explain Machida’s mindset at the time and the importance of riding his momentum.
“Lyoto wants to stay sharp, and he wants to fight to support his family.”“Time is going by, and you can never get back time.”
The hot name to challenge for the Light Heavyweight title though is Alexander Gustaffson, a 26 year old 15-1 up-and-coming fighter. His decision over Showgun Rua in December made him an immediate contender in the division. Gustaffson is a true light heavyweight with a long frame; a build that will at least push Jones physically.
Machida doesn’t want to sit around and wait for another unproven youngster to get a shot though. Machida is willing to fight Gustaffson in August for the right to have a shot at the title later in the year.
“Your window of opportunity as a fighter is only so much, Lyoto is here to fight. He’s here to his job, to stay sharp and to compete. If Jon needs time to heal, then we’d love to face Gustafsson.” – Soares