Look up fitness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Fitness may refer to:

• Physical fitness, a general state of good health, usually as a result of exercise and nutrition
• Fitness (biology), an individual's ability to propagate its genes
• Fitness (magazine), a women's magazine, focusing on health and exercise
• Fitness and figure competition, a form of physique training, related to bodybuilding
• Fitness approximation, a method of function optimization evolutionary computation or artificial evolution methodologies
• Fitness function, a particular type of objective function in mathematics and computer science

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fitness

• FitNesse, a web server, a wiki, and a software testing tool
• Survival of the fittest

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke (2012)
Background information
Birth name	Robin C. Thicke
Also known as	Thicke
Born	(1977-03-10) March 10, 1977 (age 35) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar and saxophone
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Nu America, Star Trak, Interscope
Associated acts	Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne
Website	www.robinthicke.com

Robin Charles Thicke ( /ˈθɪk/; born March 10, 1977) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the name Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound.^[1][2] Thicke has written hits for popular artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Mary J. Blige and Raven-Symoné. Thicke has also been acknowledged for his work in popular albums such as Confessions and Tha Carter III.

Thicke is a judge on the ABC show Duets.^[3]

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Before his days as a singer-songwriter, Thicke had written "Love Is On My Side" on Brandy's self-titled album and a number of songs for 3T's "Sexual Attention" and collaborated with Jordan Knight, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs in Knight's 1999 album Jordan Knight. He also co-wrote the songs "When You Put Your Hands On Me" for Christina Aguilera's debut album and "No Tears on My Pillow" for Mýa's sophomore release, Fear of Flying. As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.

2002–2004: Early commercial success[link]

In 2000, Thicke, who simply went by his last name, went to work on material for his debut album, initially titled Cherry Blue Skies. The album focused more on soul than his pop-offerings for other artists.

In 2002, Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track samples Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself is a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on pop and urban radio, peaking at #49 on Radio & Records Pop chart.^{[citation needed]} Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the top ten of the singles charts in New Zealand and the top three in the Netherlands.^{[citation needed]} The tune was featured for the soundtrack of Agent Cody Banks.^{[citation needed]}

The moderate success was enough to signal the release of the album, with its name changed to A Beautiful World. Despite the release of a second single, "Brand New Jones", the album received very little promotion, and debuted at a low number 152 on the US Billboard 200, eventually selling 63,000 copies.^[4]

Runner-up Blake Lewis performed "When I Get You Alone" during the 2007 season of American Idol when the top 3 chose a song to sing. Lewis has often put Robin Thicke in his list of musical influences in interviews and on the American Idol website. The song was also performed by Blaine Anderson (played by Darren Criss) on Glee during the season 2 episode "Silly Love Songs".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2005–2007: The Evolution of Robin Thicke

In 2005, Thicke performed as a guest on the remix of Will Smith's song, "Switch". After being signed to The Neptunes label, Star Trak, he began working on his second album entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Pharrell and experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. For the video, Thicke changed his appearance, cutting off his trademark long hair. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes. Nearly a year after the single was released, the album was released on October 3, 2006. To promote the album Thicke toured with India.Arie, and then opened for John Legend in late 2006.

His second single, the ballad "Lost Without U", began getting a lot of radio airplay in Urban & Rhythmic stations towards the end of 2006 and early 2007.^{[citation needed]} With the assistance of radio airplay, the song became his breakout hit, reaching as high as number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the first Caucasian male artist to top that chart since George Michael.^[5] With album sales over 1.5 million copies sold domestically after the re-release as a Deluxe Edition (with three new bonus tracks) on February 13, 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke became a commercial success in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,^[4] garnering Thicke his first R&B number one album of his career. In early 2007 the single "Lost Without U" and album The Evolution of Robin Thicke simultaneously spent two consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B singles and albums charts respectively. On the March 3, 2007 issue of Billboard magazine, Thicke simultaneously topped four Billboard charts; Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Hot Adult R&B Airplay.^{[citation needed]} In March 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^{[citation needed]} Thicke and his record label Interscope soon considered potential tracks to be released as the album's next and third single. Thicke's preference was the track "Can U Believe", which peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number ninety-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[5][6] On October 2, 2007 the track "Got 2 Be Down" was released as the album's fourth official single. The single peaked at number sixty on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.^[5]

Late in 2007, Thicke finished promotion for the album as the featured opening act for the North American leg of Beyoncé's US tour, The Beyoncé Experience.^[7] Thicke also performed a one off UK concert in London's Koko Arena on September 24, 2007. As of February 10, 2009, the album was certified Double-Platinum by the RIAA.

[edit] 2008–10: Something Else and Sex Therapy

There's so many meanings behind that title. Number one, it reflects what we're going through as a nation here in America. I just felt, with Barack Obama and the new energy he's bringing, that it is time for some fresh hope and new attitudes. Then, in terms of me as an artist, because I'd been singing all these songs about self-reflection - like '2 The Sky' and 'Angels' - I just thought it was time for me to start singing about something ELSE! Also, I felt that - with my music being a little different from everything else you can get out there - the music IN ITSELF is also something different and something else!"

—Robin Thicke interview by Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, November 2008.[8]

Thicke released his third solo album, entitled Something Else, on September 30, 2008.^{[citation needed]} It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 charts and sold nearly 140,000 records the first week.^{[citation needed]} The first single from the album was "Magic" a further expansion of the R&B sound that powered his 2006 breakthrough, The Evolution of Robin Thicke.^{[citation needed]} "Magic" went on to peak at number two on the Urban AC charts.^{[citation needed]} He followed this success with the second single, "The Sweetest Love", which also peaked at number two on the Urban AC charts and remained in the top five for twelve consecutive weeks.^{[citation needed]}

During an interview to promote his third album, Thicke explained:

Thicke appeared on an episode of ABC's The Bachelor to perform “Magic” and “The Sweetest Love” for the remaining female contestants. Thicke wrote and produced a track for the movie Precious in which his wife Paula Patton also starred.^[10] He co-headlined a U.S. tour with Jennifer Hudson, which began March 31, 2009 in Albany, New York, and wrapped up 25 shows later in Biloxi, Mississippi.^[11] At the start of the tour, Thicke released "You're My Baby" as the official third single from Something Else, despite filming and releasing a music video for the track "Dreamworld".^[11] As of April 2009, Something Else has shifted over 435,000 units in the U.S.

Seven months after the release of Something Else, Billboard.com announced that Thicke would release his fourth studio album in the fall of 2009, which would not be self-produced.^[11] The album, titled Sex Therapy, had its release date postponed to winter, on December 15, 2009. Jay-Z is featured on the track "Meiple (Me I Play)". The first single from the album was the self-titled track, produced by Polow Da Don and released in October 2009. In November 2009, Thicke premiered the second single to radio, "Shakin' It for Daddy", featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was also produced by Polow Da Don.

Speaking of the musical background to Sex Therapy, Thicke told Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of Blues & Soul - "I'm always gonna have the influence of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Al Green in my music. But with this album I also wanted to show my HIP HOP side. I grew up listening to Run DMC and NWA and Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z... So I really wanted to make a record that represented how much that music has influenced me."^[12] Earlier in 2009, on October 14, Leighton Meester's debut single "Somebody to Love", featuring Thicke, was released. Thicke told MTV he was glad to have Lil Wayne on the album. He also pointed out that he was featured on Lil Wayne's last two albums, and Lil Wayne was on his last two albums. "We're kind of good luck charms for each other."^{[citation needed]}

Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve on January 1, 2010 and performed three songs in Las Vegas, in a pre-recorded segment. Also in 2010, it was confirmed that he, along with Melanie Fiona, would feature on The Freedom Tour with Alicia Keys. As of October 2011, the album has sold 269,000 copies in the United States.^[13]

[edit] 2011–present: Love After War

During 2011, Thicke was confirmed to go on tour with Jennifer Hudson, with whom he toured in 2009.^[14] Later that year, Robin Thicke released his fifth studio album, Love After War, on December 6, 2011.^[15] The album has produced two singles. There is the title track and lead single, "Love After War". The second single is "Pretty Lil' Heart", which features Lil Wayne. Robin Thicke appeared on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2012 performing via remote feed from Los Angeles, California.^{[citation needed]}

Thicke is appearing as a judge on a new ABC television show called Duets which premiered May 24, 2012 and which also features John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, and Kelly Clarkson.^[3]

Artistry[link]

Songwriting and producing[link]

Thicke began his songwriting career by writing hits for popular artists. He co-wrote and produced the Color Me Badd hit "Sexual Capacity" in 1996. The Thicke original "When I Get You Alone" was performed by Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol 2003, during the competition and at the Idol grand finale. "When I Get You Alone" was a popular song choice for Sebastian; he put the live idol performance on his four-times platinum debut single "Angels Brought Me Here"; it was the fastest selling single in Australia debuting at #1 and immediately breaking an Aria record.^[16] In 2004, Thicke co-wrote "Out With My Baby" with Guy Sebastian, from Sebastian's second album, Beautiful Life. Thicke also produced this single for Sebastian.^[17] During this same year, he wrote a song with the singer and actress Raven-Symoné for the album This Is My Time, with the song "Set Me Free".

In April 2007, Thicke co-wrote a song with singer/songwriter Angela Via called "Wrong for You". In 2008, Thicke was enlisted by producer Polow da Don to play piano on the Usher track, "Love in This Club".^[18] At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Thicke was recognized for his work on Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album Tha Carter III, as well as Jennifer Hudson’s self titled debut album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Tie My Hands" on Tha Carter III, which went on to win Best Rap Album. Thicke wrote and produced the song "Giving Myself" for the album Jennifer Hudson, which went on to win Best R&B Album.

Collaborations[link]

In 2007, Thicke appeared on 50 Cent's album Curtis, which was released on September 11, 2007, on a song called "Follow My Lead". The following year, he worked with Ashanti on her fourth studio album, The Declaration, which was released on June 3, 2008.^[6][7] Also that year, Thicke reunited with Lil Wayne and was featured on his album Tha Carter III on a track entitled "Tie My Hands", which Thicke also produced.

Discography[link]

• A Beautiful World (2003)
• The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006)
• Something Else (2008)
• Sex Therapy (2009)
• Love After War (2011)
• 6th Studio Album (2012)

Personal life[link]

Thicke's mother is Days of Our Lives actress and singer Gloria Loring and his father is Canadian actor Alan Thicke. They divorced when he was seven.^{[citation needed]}

Thicke began dating actress Paula Patton at the age of 16.^[19] They were married in 2005 and had a son, Julian Fuego Thicke, on April 6, 2010.^[20] In the Fall of 2010, Robin Thicke spent several weeks in New York City recording and living in a rented SoHo apartment which he had converted into a makeshift professional studio.^[21] Thicke has said he does not like his music being described as "blue-eyed soul", calling the label "small-minded and stereotypical."^[22]

Tours[link]

• The Beyoncé Experience – as an opening act for the North American leg
• Jennifer Hudson and Robin Thicke – co-headline tour
• The Freedom Tour – as an opening act for the tour along with Melanie Fiona
• Robin Thicke with special guest Miguel in Houston, Texas
• Love After War – 3 week promotional tour in November 2011

Awards and nominations[link]

Recording artist[link]

Songwriting and production[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Robin Thicke at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Thicke on Myspace

Lyoto Machida
Machida in 2008
Born	Lyoto Carvalho Machida (1978-05-30) May 30, 1978 (age 34) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Other names	The Dragon
Residence	Belém, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb)
Division	Light Heavyweight Heavyweight
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Stance	Southpaw
Team	Black House
Trainer	Yoshizo Machida
Rank	3rd dan black belt in Shotokan black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active	2003–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	20
Wins	17
By knockout	6
By submission	2
By decision	9
Losses	3
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	1
Spouse	Fabyola
Children	2
Notable relatives	Chinzô Machida (brother), Yoshizo Machida (father)
Website	http://lyotomachida.net
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 16, 2011 (2011-09-16)

Lyoto Carvalho Machida (Portuguese pronunciation: [liˈotu maˈʃidɐ]; born May 30, 1978) is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and is currently ranked as the #6 light heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog,^[2] MMAWeekly^[3] and Yahoo! Sports.^[4]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

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,^[5] Shotokan karate master Yoshizo Machida.^[6] Yoshizo moved to Brazil from Japan when he was 22 years old. There he met and married Lyoto's mother, Ana Claudia.^[7] Growing up in Belém, Lyoto began training in karate at the age of three and earned his black belt at the age of thirteen.^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[10] His other brothers include Kenzo Machida, a TV journalist for one of Brazil's biggest TV stations, Take Machida and adopted brother Francisco Machida.^[11]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Machida began his career in mixed martial arts under the management of legendary pro wrestler and MMA pioneer Antonio Inoki in Japan. On May 2, 2003, he defeated Kengo Watanabe by decision in his professional debut on a card promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo. In his second fight, he defeated Stephan Bonnar by technical knockout due to a cut in the inauagral event promoted by Jungle Fight in Manaus, Brazil.

On December 31, 2003, he took part in Inoki's annual event Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003, where he met Rich Franklin in an openweight bout in which both men weighed at 214 lbs. In front of over 40,000 fans at Kobe Wing Stadium in Kobe, Machida defeated Franklin via TKO in the second round. He rocked Franklin with a front kick to the face before following up with punches which forced the referee to stop the fight at 1:03 into the round.

Following this, Machida went on to compete for the K-1 promotion. At the K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata event on March 14, 2004, he defeated Michael McDonald, a Canadian kickboxer making his MMA debut, with a forearm choke in the first round. On May 22, 2004 at K-1 MMA ROMANEX at the Saitama Super Arena, he beat fellow karateka Sam Greco by unanimous decision. Despite both fighters' striking backgrounds, the match was mostly fought on the mat with Machida controlling the grapplng. When K-1 began promoting Hero's, a series of fight cards featuring only MMA bouts rather than cards mixed with kickboxing matches, Machida was transferred there. He took on former UFC Welterweight Champion B.J. Penn on March 26, 2005 in Saitama at Hero's 1 in an openweght fight. Machida weighed in at 102.0 kg (225 lb) while Penn weighed in at 86.5 kg (191 lb).^[12] Machida won by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

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.^[13]

At UFC 79, Machida faced the highly touted Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a judo practitioner who had earned his UFC debut after two quick upset victories over Pride veterans Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona. Machida 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 third round Machida knocked Ortiz down with a knee to the body. As Machida moved in to finish the fight, Ortiz almost locked in a triangle choke before transitioning to an armbar attempt.^[14] Machida managed to escape and win a unanimous decision, and all judges scored the fight 30–27 in his favor.^[15]

Light Heavyweight Champion[link]

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.^[16] 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^[17] 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".^[18]

Machida vs Rua controversy and rematch[link]

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 and magazines also claimed they felt Rua had won.^[19][20]

There were also MMA fighters in attendance who, after the bout, voiced support for the decision. Among them were several of Machida's training partners, including Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva,^[21] Junior dos Santos, Jose Aldo and Rafael Cavalcante.

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,^[22] 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.^[23]

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 Machida out, making him the new Light Heavyweight Champion at 3:35 in round 1,^[24] with Machida suffering his first career MMA loss.

Back to contention and title shot[link]

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 decisively won the third, and most dominant round of the fight.

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^[25] and Fightmetric^[26] 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. Because of Rampage out-striking Machida with small attacks, while Machida landed a lot more significant strikes, there is another near-unanimous agreement that the first round was a draw. 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 Jackson 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 many as a controversial decision. 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 an 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, as well as the fact that no matter what, the crowd boos a controversial decision, but instead cheered for Rampage Jackson due to his popularity as a fighter.^[27]

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.".^[28] Machida defeated Randy Couture at UFC 129 in Toronto via KO with a jumping front kick that earned Knockout of the Night honors.

Dana White has commented that Machida's performance versus Randy Couture put him back into the mix at the top of the division, but stated that he is not yet the next in line for a title shot.^[29] Machida was briefly linked to a rematch with Rashad Evans at UFC 133, replacing an injured Phil Davis.^[30][31] However, Dana White claimed that Lyoto Machida wanted "Anderson Silva money" and the UFC scheduled Tito Ortiz for the fight with Evans.^[32][33]

Machida was in talks to face Phil Davis at UFC 140 but the fight is no longer happening due to Davis needing more time to recover from knee surgery.^[34] Machida faced Jon Jones on December 10, 2011 at UFC 140 for the UFC light heavyweight title despite losing two of his last three. After a first round that saw Machida rock Jones, Machida was taken down and badly cut by an elbow. In the second round, Machida was knocked down with a straight left and then caught in a standing guillotine and choked unconscious.

Machida is set to take on Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4 in Los Angeles, California.

Fighting style[link]

Machida uses a unique,^[35] unorthodox style in MMA that combines elements from his diverse training background. 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,^[36] 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.^[37][38][39] Machida has earned considerable respect from MMA fans, fighters, and commentators for his effectiveness and winning ways.^[40][41][42] At the same time, his cerebral and conservative style is sometimes deemed boring and unsatisfying to watch.^{[38][40][43][44]} Machida has drawn fire from fans,^[45][46] and criticism from MMA commentators^[47][48] 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."^[49] 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.^[44]

Machida defied expectations at UFC 94,^[46][50] 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.^[51] Machida's limited English was previously seen as a marketing liability.^[52][53][54] 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 have 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 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Walter Broca.^[55]

Personal life[link]

Machida's wife is named Fabyola.^[56] The couple have a son named Taiyo who was born in September 2008.^[57] In an interview, Lyoto discussed his practice of urine therapy, which he learned from his father.^[58]

Championships and achievements[link]

[edit] Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
  • One successful title defense
  • Knockout of the Night (Three times)
  • Fight of the Night (One time)
• Sherdog
  • Knockout of the Year (2011) vs. Randy Couture on April 30
• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2009 MMA Fighter of the Year^[59]
• ESPY Award
  • Best Fighter ESPY Award - Nomination (2009)^[60]

[edit] Martial arts

• Shotokan
  • 3rd-dan black belt in Shotokan
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Mixed martial arts record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lyoto Machida Official website
• The official Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida Fan Club (Facebook)
• Professional MMA record for Lyoto Machida from Sherdog
• Machida Facts and Training Routine
• UFC Profile

v t e Karateka Rafael Aghayev · Seishō Arakaki · Steve Arneil · Hideyuki Ashihara · Steven Bellamy · Billy Blanks · Jon Bluming · Tino Ceberano · Sonny Chiba · Chōshin Chibana · Howard Collins · Joe Corley · Keinosuke Enoeda · Shigeru Egami · Glaube Feitosa · Francisco Filho · Seiko Fujita · Michael G. Foster · Gichin Funakoshi · Gigō Funakoshi · Alexander Gerunov · Shinpan Gusukuma · Mitsusuke Harada · Yuchoku Higa · Kanryō Higaonna · Morio Higaonna · Shane Higashi · Loek Hollander · Andy Hug · Seikichi Iha · Motokatsu Inoue · Ankō Itosu · Manzo Iwata · John Jarvis · Nobuaki Kakuda · Hirokazu Kanazawa · Hajime Kazumi · Katsunori Kikuno · Chogi Kishaba · Chokei Kishaba · Chōtoku Kyan · Lechi Kurbanov · Kenwa Mabuni · Lyoto Machida · Akira Masuda · Shokei Matsui · Sōkon Matsumura · Miyuki Miura · Chōki Motobu · Chōyū Motobu · Chōjun Miyagi · Shōshin Nagamine · Andrews Nakahara · Seigi Nakamura · Tadashi Nakamura · Masatoshi Nakayama · Jōkō Ninomiya · Chuck Norris · Hironori Ōtsuka · Masutatsu Ōyama · Henry Plée · Katsuaki Satō · Semmy Schilt · Katsuhiko Shinzato · Yoshiji Soeno · Hohan Sōken · Georges St-Pierre · Taiji Kase · Ewerton Teixeira · Kenji Tokitsu · Robert Trias · Masami Tsuruoka · Sannosuke Ueshima · Luca Valdesi · Bill Wallace · Cheryl Wheeler-Dixon · Gōgen Yamaguchi · Terutomo Yamazaki