UFC 224: The best and worst

Modified May 14, 2018 18:14 GMT

Amanda Nunes successfully defended her Bantamweight title against Raquel Pennington in the main event of UFC 224

#3 Best: Lyoto’s not done yet

Lyoto Machida showed he's still got something left in the tank with his KO of Vitor Belfort

After he returned from a period of over two years on the shelf to take a really bad loss at the hands of Derek Brunson last year, I called for Lyoto Machida to retire and I wasn’t the only one.

But, early 2018 saw somewhat of a resurgence for ‘The Dragon’, as he defeated up-and-comer Eryk Anders in February after a close fight.

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Booked against fellow veteran Vitor Belfort on Saturday’s show, the feeling from a lot of fans was that Machida probably had slightly more left in the tank.

That proved to be true, as he turned Belfort’s lights out in the second round with one of his best knockouts to date, a snapping front kick reminiscent of Anderson Silva’s 2011 knockout of Belfort.

Does this mean that Machida is a title contender again? Of course not. He’s still at the tail end of his career.

But, he’s definitely shown in his last two fights that he doesn’t necessarily need to call time on his career just yet.

Hopefully, the UFC can set up the long-awaited fight with Michael Bisping next, as it’d give Lyoto a chance to fight another veteran, and perhaps pull out another classic finish like he did on Saturday.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Akhilesh Tirumala