Chris: I Underestimated How Bad He Wanted The Fight And How He Wasn't Going To Quit
Q: The tide shifted in a big way in Round 4 and Machida began landing flush to the body and head. What changed?
A: After watching it, I think what happened is at the end of the third round I thought I had him broke. I thought he was ready to be finished. I was so used to just breaking my opponents in sparring and fights, that I was like, “You know what, I’m walking him down, I’m going to knock him out or take him down and finish him, break him.” I got careless about what he was going to be doing, and I made a technical mistake. And the first big shot he landed in the fight, he hit me with a big shot, and when you get hit by punches, that’s what really starts getting you tired because it flusters you. He threw the big shot and I had in my mind, “I’m just going to keep walking forward.” I kind of underestimated how much he really wanted the fight, and how much he wasn’t going to quit.
Q: How did you manage to disrupt Machida’s rhythm?
A: It’s a physical game of chess, and it’s all about deception. Machida is one of the best in the world playing that game, he’s a very smart fighter and he’s really good at tricking you and getting you to do things that you shouldn’t do. The big thing with him is if I was in range and if I don’t get off first, he’s going to get off first. So if I’m not kicking his leg or I’m not kicking his body, he’s doing that to me. So I think that’s really what did it. As soon I got in range, I was going to throw a strike. It’s hard to hit him with punches when you get into range because he’s pretty quick, so I kind of faked the head and then take out the leg and go to the body with kicks. Obviously, your legs are longer than your arms, so it’s a little more high percentage.
And the fight itself
