Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo Souza discuss potential Brazilian-vs.-Brazilian title fight
There are two things UFC middleweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Ronaldo Souza seem to agree on.
For one, they have no desire to fight a Brazilian for a coveted shot at the title. And two, if that’s the only option, they’ll easily forget that first thing.
Machida and “Jacare†both emerged victorious in their respective co-headliners this past Saturday at the FOX Sports 1-televised UFC Fight Night 36 event at Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Machida (21-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) earned a five-round decision victory over Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the headliner, and a fight prior, Souza (20-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) topped Francis Carmont (22-8 MMA, 6-1 UFC) on the judges’ scorecards.
So where does that leave both Brazilians? Right behind a few others in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings. The division’s kingpin, reigning titleholder Chris Weidman (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), is fresh off a second win over No. 2-ranked Anderson Silva, and he’s now set to meet another Brazilian challenger, Vitor Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC), on May 24 at UFC 173.
Following UFC Fight Night 36, UFC-Brazil official Grace Tourinho told MMAjunkie that the promotion will wait for the Weidman vs. Belfort outcome before deciding what to do with Machida and Souza.
That leaves other contenders in a state of uncertainty. But after their wins, Machida concurred with Souza and said the division has no shortage of intrigue, largely because of the glut of worthy title challengers.
“As ‘Jacare’ mentioned, this only proves this weight class has a lot of people in it,†said Machida, who’s now 4-1 (with a controversial loss to Phil Davis) in his past five fights. “Mousasi was a champion in Strikeforce. ‘Jacare’ was a champion. Vitor Belfort has had a belt. I’ve had a belt. Weidman is the current champ. Anderson is a former champ.
“So there are many champions in this 185 weight class. I don’t want to fight a Brazilian, but if that’s what is done, that’s what’s going to happen.â€
That could become a real possibility with an upset victory for Belfort, whom oddsmakers have tapped a 2-1 to underdog in his Memorial Day weekend headliner.
Like Machida, Souza knows a fight with Belfort could be a difficult assignment – but one he ultimately has to accept.
“I don’t want to fight a Brazilian (next), but if the matchmakers put me in a fight against a Brazilian – Lyoto’s also a big professional, and he would also accept the fight – I think it’s good for all of us,†he said.
