Derek Brunson doesn’t believe ring rust will play a factor in Lyoto Machida’s return.
On Oct. 28, Brunson will take on former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Machida. The bout will be held inside the Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It’ll headline the UFC Fight Night 119 card.
Brunson recently spoke to A.G Fight and said he’s counting on Machida to return to form following his suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (via Flo Combat):
“I don’t really see that as a good thing or a bad thing. It’s all about how you individually deal with that. It’s about how Machida is going to come out and about how he’s going to feel that night, what type of training he’s had. I know he’s gotten older, so is his body still the same? He’s been out for a while.”
“The Law” insists he’ll be training for a prime version of “The Dragon.”
“I think he’s the same guy. Skills don’t diminish. Even when he’s 60 years old, he’ll still have the same skill set. Will he be able to do everything as fast as he once did it? No, probably not. But his same skill set will be there, so I’m preparing for that as opposed to him being out for a period of time.”
