Lyoto Machida Demands Title Shot After KO Victory

Criticized in the past for his unorthodox countering style, Lyoto Machida silenced the critics in the co-main event of UFC 94: St Pierre vs Penn 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, walking through previously unbeaten Thiago Silva en route to a first round knockout win that solidified his case for a light heavyweight title shot.

“People, do I deserve a title shot,” asked Machida of the packed house that roared in the affirmative. “I’m ready - whenever, wherever, whoever.”

Machida peppered Silva with kicks early on, not getting touched in the process. With a little over a minute gone, the action was halted after Machida landed a low knee, but after the fight resumed, he went right back to work, taking his opponent down, and then after the two stood, dropping Silva with a knee followed by a punch to the jaw. On the mat, Machida remained in control, and when he stood, he continued to score with kicks to the legs of the still prone Silva. Despite the frustration showing on his face, the bruised up Silva kept moving forward, eventually running into another combination that put him down a second time. After rising, Silva and Machida grappled against the fence, but after Machida tripped his foe to the canvas, a right hand to the jaw put Silva out at 4:59 of the opening round.

Jon Jones is for real. Just 21 years old, the unbeaten New Yorker stunned returning light heavyweight star Stephan Bonnar with a varied and aggressive attack that earned him a three round unanimous decision win.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Jones. Bonnar, in his first fight since October of 2007 due to from knee surgery, falls to 14-5.

Jones opened up the fight with some unorthodox and orthodox kicks that immediately got Bonnar’s attention. The two proceeded to lock up, with Jones igniting the crowd with two thudding throws to the mat. Once standing, Bonnar tried to get on the board with some kicks of his own, but after another Jones throw missed, the New Yorker simply took Bonnar’s back and threw him backwards, eliminating another offensive opportunity. Offense certainly wasn’t Jones’ problem, as a back elbow dropped Bonnar and a knee stunned him before another takedown ended the round.

Bonnar came out fast to start the second round, looking to turn the tide. Jones quickly made him pay for his aggressiveness though, as he took his back and then continued to score with his strikes from all possible angles before a takedown a minute and a half in. The former JUCO national champion showed off some impressive ground and pound as well before Bonnar fought his way back to his feet. The Ultimate Fighter season one finalist showed some signs of life in the late stages of the round, but just when he would start to get some momentum, it was Jones silencing things with a crisp counter or another thunderous throw.

With the fight slipping away from him, Bonnar went on the attack in the final round, and after some solid strikes, he pinned Jones against the fence and tried to work on the inside. As Jones broke free, Bonnar still scored well in between sporadic bursts from the tiring Jones, who took the fight to the mat midway through the round. On the ground, Bonnar tried for a submission from his back, but was unsuccessful, and the two soon rose to their feet. With the seconds ticking away, Bonnar tried to press, but he just didn’t have enough left in the tank to catch Jones, who entered the Octagon as a virtual unknown, but left it a star.