Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Hotan
Native name	خوتەن
Official name	和田市
Settlement type	County-level city
Pushpin map	China Xinjiang
Pushpin map caption	Location in Xinjiang
Pushpin map1	China
Pushpin map caption1	Location in China
|latd	37 |latm06 |lats |latNSN
Dot x	|dot_y
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	CN
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	China
Subdivision type1	Province
Subdivision name1	Xinjiang
Subdivision type2	Prefecture
Subdivision name2	Hotan
Area total km2	85035
Population total	364796
Population density km2	auto
Postal code type	Postal code
Postal code	839000
Footnotes	}}

Hotan (), or Hetian (, formerly: ), also spelled Khotan, is the seat of the Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. It was previously known in Chinese as 于窴/於窴 (pinyin: Yú tián) and to 19th-century European explorers as Ilchi.

With a population of 114,000 (2006), Hotan is an oasis town lying in the Tarim Basin, just north of the Kunlun Mountains, which are crossed by the Sanju Pass, and the Hindu-tagh, and Ilchi passes. The town, located southeast of Yarkand and populated almost exclusively by Uyghurs, is a minor agricultural center. An important station on the southern branch of the historic Silk Road, Hotan has always depended on two strong rivers - the Karakash River and the Yurungkash River, the Black and White Jade rivers respectively - to provide the water needed to survive on the southwestern edge of the vast Taklamakan Desert. The Yurungkash still provides water and irrigation for the town and oasis.

History

The oasis of Hotan is strategically located at the junction of the southern (and most ancient) branch of the famous “Silk Route” joining China and the West with one of the main routes from ancient India and Tibet to Central Asia and distant China. It provided a convenient meeting place where not only goods, but technologies, philosophies, and religions were transmitted from one culture to another.

Tocharians lived in this region over 2000 years ago. Several of the Tarim mummies were found in the region. At Sampul, to the east of the city of Hotan, there is an extensive series of cemeteries scattered over an area about a kilometre wide and 23 km long. The excavated sites range from about 300 BCE - 100 CE. The excavated graves have produced a number of fabrics of felt, wool, silk and cotton and even a fine bit of tapestry showing the face of Caucasoid man which was made of threads of 24 shades of colour. The tapestry had been cut up and fashioned into trousers worn by one of the deceased. Anthropological studies 56 individuals studied show a primarily Caucasoid population "similar to the Saka burials of the southern Pamirs". Recent DNA testing on the mummies has shown that the area's population clustered with Central Asians and Indians rather than East Asians.

There is a relative abundance of information on Hotan readily available for study. The main historical sources are to be found in the Chinese histories (particularly detailed during the Han and early Tang dynasties), the accounts of several Chinese pilgrim monks, a few Buddhist histories of Hotan that have survived in Tibetan, and a large number of documents in Khotanese and other languages discovered, for the most part, early this century at various sites in the Tarim Basin and from the hidden library at the “Caves of the Thousand Buddhas” near Dunhuang.

The ancient Kingdom of Khotan was one of the earliest Buddhist states in the world and a cultural bridge across which Buddhist culture and learning were transmitted from India to China.

End of Buddhist Khotan

The one Tarim city state still independent of either Qarakhanid or Uyghur control at this point was Khotan, a Buddhist kingdom whose inhabitants, like those of early Kashgar and Yarkand, spoke the Iranian Saka tongue. Khotan's indigenous dynasty (all of whose royal names are Indian in origin) governed a fervently Buddhist city-state boasting some 400 temples in the late ninth/early tenth century—four times the number recorded by Xuan Zang around the year 630. Khotan enjoyed close relations with the Buddhist centre at Dunhuang: the Khotanese royal family intermarried with Dunhuang élites, visited and patronised Dunhuang's Buddhist temple complex, and donated money to have their portraits painted on the walls of the Mogao grottos. Through the tenth century Khotanese royal portraits were painted in association with an increasing number of deities in the caves, suggesting the Khotanese royalty knew they were in trouble.

The trouble, specifically, was the Qarakhanid Empire. Satuq's son, Musa, began to put pressure on Khotan in the mid-900s, and sometime before 1006 Yusuf Qadir Khan of Kashgar besieged and took the city. This conquest of Buddhist Khotan by the Muslim Turks—about which there are many colourful legends—marked another watershed in the Islamicisation and Turkicisation of the Tarim Basin, and an end to local autonomy of this southern Tarim city state.

By 1006, Khotan was held by the Muslim Yūsuf Qadr Khān, a brother or cousin of the Muslim ruler of Kāshgar and Balāsāghūn. Between 1006 and 1165, after it fell to the Kara Kitai, it was part of the Kara-Khanid Khanate and became, in time, a Muslim state. The town suffered severely during the Dungan revolt against the Qing Dynasty in 1864-1875, and again a few years later when Yaqub Beg of Kashgar made himself master of East Turkestan.

Modern Hotan

In June 2011, Hotan opened its first passenger-train service to Kashgar, which is a special economic zone. In July, Hotan was the site of a series of bomb and knife attacks by militants.

Geography

Hotan has a desert climate (Köppen ''BWk''), with barely any rainfall year-round and great seasonal variation in temperature. Monthly daily mean temperatures range from in January to in July, and the annual mean is .

metric first	Y
single line	Y
location	Hotan
jan high c	0.8
feb high c	5.9
mar high c	14.8
apr high c	23.5
may high c	27.6
jun high c	31.0
jul high c	32.4
aug high c	31.4
sep high c	27.2
oct high c	20.2
nov high c	11.1
dec high c	2.6
year high c	19.0
jan low c	−9.0
feb low c	−4.4
mar low c	3.0
apr low c	10.2
may low c	14.6
jun low c	17.7
jul low c	19.3
aug low c	18.3
sep low c	13.5
oct low c	6.0
nov low c	−0.9
dec low c	−7.1
year low c	6.8
jan precipitation mm	1.6
feb precipitation mm	2.0
mar precipitation mm	1.3
apr precipitation mm	1.5
may precipitation mm	6.6
jun precipitation mm	8.2
jul precipitation mm	5.7
aug precipitation mm	4.9
sep precipitation mm	1.8
oct precipitation mm	1.3
nov precipitation mm	.1
dec precipitation mm	1.5
year precipitation mm	36.5
Jan sun	167.8
Feb sun	163.9
Mar sun	185.8
Apr sun	208.3
May sun	234.5
Jun sun	253.2
Jul sun	242.5
Aug sun	231.2
Sep sun	240.0
Oct sun	260.5
Nov sun	221.1
Dec sun	178.2
Year sun	2587.0
Jan humidity	54
Feb humidity	46
Mar humidity	35
Apr humidity	29
May humidity	35
Jun humidity	38
Jul humidity	43
Aug humidity	45
Sep humidity	44
Oct humidity	43
Nov humidity	45
Dec humidity	55
Year humidity	42.7
Unit precipitation days	0.1 mm
Jan precipitation days	2.0
Feb precipitation days	1.7
Mar precipitation days	.7
Apr precipitation days	1.1
May precipitation days	1.9
Jun precipitation days	2.6
Jul precipitation days	2.9
Aug precipitation days	1.8
Sep precipitation days	.8
Oct precipitation days	.3
Nov precipitation days	.3
Dec precipitation days	1.2
Year precipitation days	17.3
Source	China Meteorological Administration }}

Transportation

Road

Hotan is served by China National Highway 315, which runs along the southern Tarim Basin from Ruoqiang to Kashgar, and the Trans-Taklamakan Desert Highway, which run north to Aksu.

Rail

Hotan is connected to the rest of China's rail network via the Kashgar-Hotan Railway, which opened to freight traffic in December 2010. Passenger train service on this line is limited, with only one train per day, local service 5828/5825, linking the city with Urumqui.

Buses

Regular bus services link Hotan with Kashgar. There is also an express bus to Aksu via the 430 km 'Hotan-Aksu Cross-Desert Highway' which was opened in 2007, travels alongside the intermittent Hotan River, and which takes about 5 or 6 hours. This same bus then goes on to Urumchi taking a total of about 21 hours from Hotan.

Products

Nephrite Jade

Khotan is famous for its high-quality nephrite jade, which comes in a variety of colours. Chinese historical sources indicate that Hotan was the main source of the nephrite jade used in ancient China. For several hundred years, until they were defeated by the Xiongnu in 176 BCE, the trade of Hotanese jade into China was controlled by the nomadic Yuezhi. The Chinese still refer to the Yurungkash as the White Jade River, alluding to the white jade recovered from its alluvial deposits. Most of the jade is now gone, with only a few kilos of good quality jade found yearly. Some is still mined in the Kunlun Mountains to the south in the summer, but it is generally of poorer quality than that found in the rivers.

Fabrics and carpets

Chinese-Khotanese relations were so close that the oasis emerged as one of the earliest centres of silk manufacture outside China. There are good reasons to believe that the silk-producing industry flourished in Hotan as early as the 5th century. According to one story, a Chinese princess given in marriage to a Khotan prince brought to the oasis the secret of silk-manufacture, "hiding silkworms in her hair as part of her dowry", probably in the first half of the 1st century CE. It was from Khotan that the eggs of silkworms were smuggled to Persia, reaching Justinian's Constantinople in 551 AD.

Khotanese carpets, were mentioned by Xuanzang, who visited the oasis in 644 CE: "The country produces woolen carpets and fine felt, and the people are skillful in spinning and weaving silk." In his Biography it is stated: "It produced carpets and fine felt, and the felt-makers also spun coarse and fine silk." Khotan Silk Factory is one of the notable silk producers in Khotan.

Not only pile carpets were produced in ancient times, but also kilims. Khotanese pile carpets are still highly prized and form an important export. Silk production is still a major industry employing more than a thousand workers and producing some 150 million metres of silk annually. Silk weaving by Uighur women is a thriving cottage industry, some of it produced using traditional methods.

See also

Khotan Cultural Museum

Silk Road transmission of Buddhism

Footnotes

References

Harper, Damian et al (2009). ''Lonely Planet China: 11th Editon''. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1741048667.

Hill, John E. 1988. "Notes on the Dating of Khotanese History." ''Indo-Iranian Journal'' 31 (1988), pp. 179–190. See: Updated version of this article is available for free download (with registration) at:

Hill, John E. 2004. ''The Peoples of the West from the Weilüe'' 魏略 ''by Yu Huan'' 魚豢'': A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE.'' Draft annotated English translation.

Hill, John E. (2009) ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4392-2134-1.

Hulsewé, A. F. P. (1979). ''China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty''. E. J. Brill, Leiden. ISBN 90 04 05884 2.

Legge, James 1886. ''A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms: Being an account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline''. Oxford, Clarendon Press. Reprint: New York, Paragon Book Reprint Corp. 1965.

Mallory, J. P. and Mair, Victor H. 2000. ''The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West''. Thames & Hudson. London. 2000.

Montell, Gösta, ''Sven Hedin’s Archaeological Collections from Khotan: Terra-cottas from Yotkan and Dandan-Uiliq'', The Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities 7 (1936), pp. 145–221.

Montell, Gösta, ''Sven Hedin’s Archaeological Collections from Khotan II'' (appendix by Helmer Smith (pp. 101–102)), The Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities 10 (1938), pp. 83–113.

Puri, B. N. ''Buddhism in Central Asia'', Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, Delhi, 1987. (2000 reprint).

Stein, Aurel M. 1907. ''Ancient Khotan: Detailed report of archaeological explorations in Chinese Turkestan'', 2 vols. Clarendon Press. Oxford.

Stein, Aurel M. 1921. ''Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China'', 5 vols. London & Oxford. Clarendon Press. Reprint: Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass. 1980.

Watters, Thomas 1904-1905. ''On Yuan Chwang’s Travels in India''. London. Royal Asiatic Society. Reprint: Delhi. Mushiram Manoharlal. 1973.

Yu, Taishan. 2004. ''A History of the Relationships between the Western and Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Western Regions''. Sino-Platonic Papers No. 131 March, 2004. Dept. of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania.

External links

Official government site (in Chinese)

Silk Road Seattle (The Silk Road Seattle website contains many useful resources including a number of full-text historical works)

(A site devoted to the Buddhism of Khotan with a copy of Sir Aurel Stein's map of the Tarim Basin and Khotan region)

Satellite image of region which can be enlarged

China: Taklamakan - Desert With No Ocean Underground

Category:Populated places along the Silk Road Category:Populated places in Xinjiang Category:Uyghurs Category:Central Asian Buddhist kingdoms Category:Ancient peoples of China Category:Former countries in Chinese history Category:Oases of China

ca:Hotan cs:Chotan de:Hotan (Stadt) et:Hotan es:Khotan eo:Hotan fa:ختن fr:Hotan fy:Hotan ko:허톈 시 id:Hotan it:Hotan lt:Hetianas nl:Hotan ja:ホータン市 no:Hotan (Hotan) pl:Hoten pt:Hotan ru:Хотан sk:Chotan (mesto) sh:Hotan sv:Khotan tr:Hotan (şehir) uk:Хотан ug:خوتەن شەھىرى vi:Hotan (thành phố) war:Hetian zh:和田市

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Lyoto Machida
birth name	Lyoto Carvalho Machida
nationality	Brazilian
birth date	May 30, 1978
birth place	Salvador, Brazil
other names	The Dragon
residence	Belém, Brazil
height
weight lb	205
weight class	Light Heavyweight
reach in	74
style	Machida Karate, Shotokan Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sumo
stance	Southpaw
team	Black House
trainer	Yoshizo Machida
rank	3rd dan black belt in Shotokan Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
years active	2003–present (MMA)
mma win	17
mma kowin	6
mma subwin	2
mma decwin	9
mma loss	2
mma koloss	1
mma decloss	1
spouse	Fabyola
children	2
relatives	Chinzô Machida (brother), Yoshizo Machida (father)
url	http://lyotomachida.net
sherdog	7513
updated	October 28, 2009 }}

Lyoto Carvalho Machida (; born May 30, 1978) is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a Light Heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and holds notable wins over former UFC champions Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn, Rashad Evans, Randy Couture, and Maurício Rua. He is currently ranked as the #5 light heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog, MMAWeekly & Yahoo! Sports. The son of a Japanese Shotokan karate master, , Machida utilizes a karate striking style that implements a wide Shotokan stance and an elusive strategy.

On May 23, 2009, Machida won the UFC light-heavyweight championship from the previously undefeated Rashad Evans by knockout in the second round. Machida subsequently lost his title, and his undefeated streak, on May 8, 2010, when he was knocked out in the first round by Mauricio Rua in their rematch. Machida was named one of the Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes by Men's Fitness. He is the only man who holds a victory over former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans and the only man to knock out Light Heavyweight Fighter Thiago Silva.

Early life

Machida was born in the city of Salvador as the third son of the highly ranked head of the Brazilian branch of the Japan Karate Association, Shotokan karate master Yoshizo Machida. Yoshizo moved to Brazil from Japan when he was 22 years old. There he met and married Lyoto's mother, Ana Claudia. Growing up in Belém, Lyoto began training in karate at the age of three and earned his black belt at the age of thirteen. He also began training in sumo at twelve and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at fifteen. He won a number of amateur karate tournaments, including the 2001 Pan American Karate tournament.

He was the runner-up in the 2000 Brazilian Sumo Championships in the 115 kg division. As an adult, he became Brazilian Champion twice under Taylor Swanson, and placed second in the South American Championship. He defeated American black belt Jiu-Jitsu fighter Rafael Lovato Jr. at ''L.A. Sub X''. In addition to his sumo and karate achievements, he has a college degree in Physical Education. Lyoto's brother, Chinzô, is a Shotokan vice-champion (Australia 2006), losing only to number-one ranked Shotokan master Koji Ogata. Lyoto and Chinzô fought in a Karate Final 10 years ago in which Lyoto gave Chinzô a cheek scar that still exists today. His other brothers include Kenzo Machida, a TV journalist for one of Brazil's biggest TV stations, Take Machida and adopted brother Francisco Machida.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

UFC Debut

Machida made his UFC debut on the preliminary card of ''UFC 67'' against Sam Hoger and won by unanimous decision. He followed up with a main-card debut at ''UFC 70'' and won a unanimous decision against David Heath. He next faced judo practitioner and Pride Fighting Championship veteran Kazuhiro Nakamura at ''UFC 76''. Machida won by unanimous decision and Nakamura would later test positive for marijuana.

At ''UFC 79'', Machida faced the highly touted Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a judo practitioner who was making his UFC debut after two quick upset victories over Pride veterans Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. He scored the first stoppage of his UFC career by submitting Sokoudjou with an arm triangle choke in the second round.

Machida's next fight was at ''UFC 84'', facing former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in what would be Ortiz's final UFC appearance before a long-standing dispute with Dana White led to Ortiz being out of a UFC contract for over a year. Machida frustrated Ortiz with lateral movement and counterstriking while successfully defending against the former champion's takedowns. In the closing minute of the first round Ortiz got Machida in a clinch, but Machida took Ortiz down, moved to side control, and had Ortiz in a modified crucifix position and began to punch Ortiz's unprotected face. In the final seconds of the third round, Machida landed a flying knee to the body of Ortiz and knocked him to the mat. As Machida moved in to finish the fight, Ortiz almost locked in a triangle choke before transitioning to an armbar attempt. Machida managed to escape and win a unanimous decision, and all three judges scored the fight 30–27 in his favor.

Machida was originally scheduled to fight fellow undefeated Brazilian Thiago Silva at ''UFC 89'' in Birmingham, England, however, the bout was postponed due to a back injury sustained by Silva. The fight ultimately took place at ''UFC 94''. After scoring several trips and knockdowns, Machida managed to knock out the grounded Silva in the final second of the first round. Machida's first UFC knockout earned Knockout of the Night Honors and a $65,000 bonus. In June 2009, Lyoto Machida was nominated for the 2009 ESPYS "Best Fighter" category, along with Anderson Silva, Manny Pacquiao, and Shane Mosley. However, Machida did not gain enough votes and the award was won instead by pro boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Light Heavyweight Championship

Machida met then light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in another clash of undefeated fighters at ''UFC 98''. Machida scored an early knockdown in the first-round, while Evans struggled to make any progress. In the second-round, Evans experienced a flurry of accurate punches by Machida rendering him unconscious before hitting the canvas. Machida was subsequently crowned the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion; his performance earning him Knockout of the Night Honors with a $60,000 bonus for the second time in as many fights. This victory continued his undefeated streak in his MMA career and was also Evans' first career loss.

Machida was set to face Quinton Jackson in his first title defense, but Jackson opted to coach the tenth season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'' instead and then face fellow coach Rashad Evans. Pride Fighting Championship's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was then selected as Machida's first title defense which took place on October 24, 2009, at UFC 104, with Machida winning a unanimous decision victory, 48–47 from all three judges, with one stating that Machida "landed the more damaging strikes throughout the fight" and was the more "effective aggressor".

Machida vs Rua controversy and Rematch

Out of the three judges, Hamilton gave Machida Rounds 2, 3 and 4. Peoples and Rosales each gave Machida the first three rounds. One of the judges (Nelson Hamilton) later commented in a post-fight interview that his line of sight was obstructed for much of the action in Round 4, and that after reviewing footage of the round, he likely would have scored the round to Rua. However, since the verdict was unanimous, retroactively changing the score for this judge would still have resulted in a 2–1 split decision in favor of Machida. Hamilton also commented that he felt the commentary had led many fans to believe Shogun had won the fight decisively, when it was a very close, technical and difficult fight to score for all three judges. In spite of this, a significant amount of the audience, who had not heard the commentary, booed the decision after it was delivered, voicing their support for Rua. Writers for a number of sports websites/magazines also claimed they felt Rua had won.

There were also MMA fighters in attendance who, after the bout, voiced support for the decision. Among them were Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Jose Aldo and Rafael Cavalcante. However all of these fighters were training partners of Machida at the time of the fight.

A Fightmetric analysis of the fight suggested that Rua had been more aggressive and had landed more blows to the head and legs than Machida, while CompuStrike reported that Rua landed almost twice as many strikes as Machida did. Both Fightmetric and CompuStrike explicitly state on their websites that they are not intended to be used to judge MMA events, and are merely a way to track a fighter's activity.

Because of the controversy surrounding the close decision, on May 8, 2010, at UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Machida and Mauricio Rua faced each other again, seven months after their original fight. It was a very much anticipated rematch. Both fighters started aggressively and scored significant points in striking exchanges, with Machida scoring two takedowns during the round. Rua showed strong defense on the ground, spinning to attempt a knee bar before both fighters returned to their feet. At 3:30 of round 1, Rua swayed to avoid a hook left and landed a powerful counter overhand right to the temple, which knocked Machida down. Rua then took the full mount and proceeded to finish with ground-and-pound knocking out Machida, making him the new Light Heavyweight Champion at 3:35 in round 1, while Machida suffered his first career MMA loss.

Back to title contention

Machida then faced Quinton Jackson at UFC 123. The decision in this fight ultimately came down to the scoring of the first round, as there is near-unanimous agreement that Rampage narrowly won the second round while Machida won the third, and most dominant round of the fight where Machida landed a vicious flurry of strikes to Rampage before taking him down to full mount, which was also the most judge-convincing (for Machida) part of the fight as well.

During the first round Machida landed several leg kicks and some counter punches while Rampage predominantly landed from the clinch, utilizing stomps and punches to Machida's side. Both Compustrike and Fightmetric records show that Rampage out-struck Machida when counting small blows such as stomps and elbows to the thigh in the clinch, while Machida landing more significant strikes during the standup exchanges. In the second round, Compustrike and Fightmetric records again show Rampage as the busier overall fighter, and Rampage also scored a takedown. The cleanest and most significant blow of the second round was also an uppercut landed by Rampage.

In the third round, Machida landed a counter left that stunned Rampage and followed it with a flurry of punches, kicks and knees that backed Quinton into the cage. When Rampage tried to retaliate, Machida scored a takedown, eventually gaining full mount and attempting several submissions.

At the end of the final round, Rampage was declared the winner via split decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–29) in what was considered by some as a controversial decision loss for Machida. Fighters such as Anderson Silva, Randy Couture and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a post-fight interview days later, all thought that Machida won the fight. In interview after the fight, Rampage expressed to Joe Rogan that the fairest thing would be to offer Machida an immediate rematch as he felt he had lost the fight. However, since UFC President Dana White personally felt that Rampage won the fight, he denied the possibility of an immediate rematch. This has generated some controversy, as UFC President White previously awarded an immediate rematch to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in spite of a unanimous judgment decision awarded to Machida in that fight.

Machida vs. Rampage controversy

Just like the Shogun fight and briefly stated about a little bit before in "Back to title contenion", controversy surrounded the fight between Rampage and Machida. Anderson Silva, Randy Couture and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua stated in an interview they thought that Machida won the fight. People all over the internet posted they thought Machida had won the fight and considered it to be (along with the Machida vs. Shogun fight) in their top 10 most controversial decision outcomes of all-time. Rampage Jackson himself thought that Machida won the fight and that Lyoto "whooped his ass" as well as stating even though he didn't want to (in a fear of losing to Machida), giving him a re-match. This was later cancelled by Dana White, as he stated because he felt that Rampage won the fight, there would be no re-match. Despite fans cheering when Rampage was declared the winner, the reason for that was because of Rampage's popularity and some people later stated that if they were to cheer for the decision, they would definitely boo it and the decision of not giving Lyoto Machida a re-match.

UFC President Dana White had indicated in January 2011 that Machida was under pressure to perform in his upcoming bout against UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture, saying, "this is a must-win for him.". Machida defeated Randy Couture at UFC 129 in Toronto via KO with a jumping front kick that earned ''Knockout of the Night'' honors and bore a distinct resemblance to the Crane kick demonstrated by the title character in ''The Karate Kid''.

Dana White has commented that Machida's performance vs Randy Couture has put him back into the mix at the top of the division, but also stated that he is not yet the next in line for a title shot.

Machida was briefly linked to a rematch with Rashad Evans at UFC 133, replacing an injured Phil Davis. However, Dana White claimed that Lyoto Machida wanted "Anderson Silva money" and the UFC scheduled Tito Ortiz for the fight with Evans.

Machida was thought to then fight Phil Davis at UFC 140, but now the UFC is considering something else for him. Such fighters that could be Lyoto's next opponent are: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua or Phil Davis, but it's unconfirmed at the moment.

Fighting style

Machida uses a unique, unorthodox style in MMA that combines elements from his diverse training background to make it as suitable for the sport as possible. Machida has received both praise and criticism for backpedaling in his fights while winning on points. It is based mainly on Shotokan karate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but also integrates techniques from wrestling and Sumo, which Machida says makes him "fully prepared for any situation" in the Octagon. Often described as "elusive", Machida relies on cautious and precise counter-striking that frustrates his opponents into making mistakes. Machida has earned considerable respect from MMA fans, fighters, and commentators for his effectiveness and winning ways. At the same time, his cerebral and conservative style is sometimes deemed boring and unsatisfying to watch. Machida has drawn fire from fans, and criticism from MMA commentators for his limited aggression and many decision victories. In response to these criticisms, Machida said, "If you don't like it, sorry. I always try to win." He also stated that he believes fans are coming to appreciate the efficiency of his style just like they came to appreciate Royce Gracie's jiu-jitsu.

Machida defied expectations at ''UFC 94,'' where he earned a "Knockout of the Night" honor for his first-round stoppage of then undefeated Thiago Silva. Machida noted that he started to include weight training in his preparation for the bout. Commentators hailed the knockout as a step in the right direction toward building interest in him as a potential champion. In addition, Machida showcased his improved English skills during interviews for the event, which gave him the ability to connect with fans more easily. Machida's limited English was previously seen as a marketing liability. After knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98, in the post fight in-ring interview with Joe Rogan, Machida announced to his fans, "Karate is back! Machida Karate!" Many fans referred to his style as "Machida Karate" since then.

In the November issue of the MMA Unltd magazine, Machida once again mentioned the phrase "Machida Karate", claiming that it was based on a very traditional form which is very different from modern sports karate. He also said that the Karate we see nowadays has lost many techniques over the years in which it was practiced, and that his style was one of the very few that still kept those techniques. "My style is Machida Karate and it is a very traditional form", he said, "It differs from sports karate which we usually see in Karate schools and competitions as it has many elements which were lost in the style including the use of knees, elbows, takedowns and even some submissions". Lyoto is a black belt in brazillian jiu-jitsu under Walter Broca.

Personal life

In an interview, Lyoto discussed his practice of urine therapy, which he learned from his father.

Championships and achievements

Martial arts

Shotokan

*3rd-dan black belt in Shotokan

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

*Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Mixed martial arts

Black Belt Magazine

2009 MMA Fighter of the Year

Ultimate Fighting Championship

*UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

* One successful title defense

*Knockout of the Night (Three times)

Mixed martial arts record

|- | Win |align=center| 17–2 | Randy Couture | KO (jumping front kick) | UFC 129 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:05 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |- | Loss |align=center| 16–2 | Quinton Jackson | Decision (split) | UFC 123 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States | |- | Loss |align=center| 16–1 | Maurício Rua | KO (punches) | UFC 113 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 3:35 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |- | Win |align=center| 16–0 | Maurício Rua | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 104 | |align=center| 5 |align=center| 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 15–0 | Rashad Evans | KO (punches) | UFC 98 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 3:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 14–0 | Thiago Silva | KO (punches) | UFC 94 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Knockout of the Night. |- | Win |align=center| 13–0 | Tito Ortiz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 84 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 12–0 | Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 79 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 4:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 11–0 | Kazuhiro Nakamura | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 76 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 10–0 | David Heath | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 70 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Manchester, England | |- | Win |align=center| 9–0 | Sam Hoger | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 67 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 8–0 | Vernon White | Decision (unanimous) | WFA: King of the Streets | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win |align=center| 7–0 | Dimitri Wanderley | TKO (exhaustion) | Jungle Fight 6 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 3:24 | Manaus, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 6–0 | B.J. Penn | Decision (unanimous) | K-1 Hero's 1 | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | Machida fought at a weight of . Penn weighed in at . |- | Win |align=center| 5–0 | Sam Greco | Decision (split) | K-1 MMA ROMANEX | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 4–0 | Michael McDonald | Submission (forearm choke) | K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 2:30 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |- | Win |align=center| 3–0 | Rich Franklin | TKO (head kick and punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 | |align=center| 2 |align=center| 1:03 | Kobe, Hyogo, Japan |Both Machida and Franklin fought at a weight of 214lbs |- | Win |align=center| 2–0 | Stephan Bonnar | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Jungle Fight 1 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 4:21 | Manaus, Brazil | |- | Win |align=center| 1–0 | Kengo Watanabe | Decision (unanimous) | New Japan Pro Wrestling: Ultimate Crush | |align=center| 3 |align=center| 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |

References

External links

Lyoto Machida Official website

The official Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida Fan Club (Facebook)

Machida Facts and Training Routine

UFC Profile

Category:Brazilian mixed martial artists Category:Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Brazilian karateka Category:Brazilian people of Japanese descent Category:Living people Category:1978 births Category:People from Belém Category:Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Ultimate Fighting Championship champions

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