Bellator 213 has come and gone, which means Lyoto Machida has made his promotional debut.
This past Saturday night (Dec. 15), Bellator 213 took place inside the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the co-main event, Machida went one-on-one with former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. “The Dragon” took a split decision victory, but he had to overcome a busted nose and a game Carvalho to do so.
Scott Coker Talks Lyoto Machida’s Bellator Debut
Speaking to reporters following Bellator 213, the promotion’s president assessed Machida’s performance (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I love martial arts. And I always say we should bring martial arts back to MMA, and I think that’s what you saw tonight, right? It was like a kickboxer fighting a karate guy. And that’s styles vs. styles, and that’s MMA. That’s part of MMA. So I think that Lyoto had a good performance. I’m not sure if he’s injured or if his nose broke. But, when he’s ready to get back in there, we’ll put him back in there. And, listen, I think the fight with him and Gegard at some point makes a lot of sense. That’s going to be a fun fight to put together. We have a lot of good fights ahead for Lyoto Machida.”
On Jan. 26, Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi will put his title on the line against Rafael Lovato Jr. The bout will serve as Bellator 214’s co-main event. While it isn’t 100 percent set in stone, many expect Machida to get dibs on the winner.
What do you make of Lyoto Machida’s Bellator debut?
