Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida Preview & Prediction
Written May 20, 2008 by Jack Jones
UFC 84 has a number of good fights this upcoming weekend including the veteran Tito Ortiz taking on undefeated Lyoto Machida. The fight is scheduled for Saturday May 24th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Ortiz is trying to regain that luster that he had when he seemed to be on top of the 205-pound weight class, and a win over Machida would do that. Machida is a fighter that has never owned a MMA belt, but has yet to be beaten in the octagon. This should be a great fight as Ortiz will come in swinging and try and knock Machida out, while Machida tends to let the fight come to him and take whatever he can get. Here is a look at both fighters and what they will be bringing to the table, and out prediction on who we think will win.
Tito Ortiz +160 at Bodoglife.com
Even though Ortiz is by far the bigger name in this fight, he comes in as the underdog this weekend. Ortiz comes in with a MMA record of 16-5-1. His most recent fight ended in a draw against Rashad Evans and the previous one before that was a knock out loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 66. There is no question that Ortiz has the ability to be one of the best 205 fighters in the world, but it’s a matter of how much he really wants it at age 33. His last two victories have come against Ken Shamrock back in 2006. With only one fight in 2007 Ortiz’s conditioning will be a factor, but it will all depend on if he is able to land some punches early in the fight. This former world light heavyweight champion loves the ground and pound, and will need to be successful with it in this fight if he wants to be a champion once again.
Lyoto Machida -200 at Bodoglife.com
The Brazilian Machida comes in with a 12-0-0 record, and it’s hard to find a weakness in this guys game. If you don’t follow the UFC closely you might be thinking that this guy hasn’t fought anybody and won’t be able to handle Ortiz, but he has wins against Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Stephan Bonnar, and Rameau Sokudjou. So it’s easy to see why this guy is the favorite this weekend. Machida is not only good on his feet; he has an excellent ground game. His last fight was his win over Sokudjou at UFC 79 when he won by submission (choke) in round 2. With a win here Machida should move even closer to the title shot he will most definitely deserve.
Winner: Lyoto Machida -200 at Bodoglife.com
While we love watching Ortiz fight we see this being a very tough matchup for him as Machida has the skills to keep the free swinging Ortiz in check. We don’t know that Machida will be knocking out Ortiz, unless Ortiz is completely wore out by the 3rd round. We see this fight either going the distance or Machida winning by submission. The odds of this fight are pretty respectable and you would be wise to take Machida at -200.
If you are looking to place a bet on this fight be sure to head to Bodoglife.com as they have great odds and a fast easy setup. Also be sure to check back for each UFC event, as we will continue to preview the big fights. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.