Wait what?

As a Rashad fan, as a Georges St.Pierre fan, as an Anderson Silva admirer its hard for me to like Lyoto Machida. And evidently, I'm not alone. He's been called a boring. A fighter who fights NOT to lose rather than win. Lately, his stock has risen slightly with the KO of Thiago Silva, but in most people's eyes; casuals and hardcores alike, he remains the snoozefest who somehow stays unbeaten.

I've watched quite a few of Lyoto's fights from the past - the ones against Franklin and the ones against Vernon White and David Heath amongst others. While it is safe to say that he that his performances are far from entertaining at times, he, in my opinion is the most controlled, calculating and smart fighter I have ever seen. Fedor may be unbeaten but he gets cut almost every time he fights. How often have you seen Machida take damage of any kind? His style of fighting is hard to predict and that fucks with everyone's gameplan once they get into the ring with him. 

I've heard a lot of people calling his style unorthodox. I disagree. Jardine is unorthodox and awkward. Machida isn't. Karate, which is his forte, is one of, if not the most orthodox styles of fighting. Being elusive and doing maximum damage while absorbing very little, are principles all Karatekas are groomed with. This is what I feel is Machida's biggest asset. Yet, it is also his biggest weakness and the sole reason people find it hard to like him. God knows I love my Greg Jackson trained warriors but this is Mixed Martial Arts is it not? Since when did MMA become a combination of kickboxing, bjj and wrestling? Thats all I see guys do these days. Perhaps a judo throw here and there but for the most part its the holy trinity that fighters look to get good at and use them to dictate fights. Fighters like Machida have the potential to bring a new dimension to our sport.

My point is, a fighter using a style that is rather obscure is a good thing. He might be boring but if he is successful, it will help the sport evolve into more than just the usual stand up and bang or lay and prays we're witnessing on a regular basis.I hope we can give guys like him a chance without dismissing them of as boring.