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NEW YORK – Lyoto Machida seems to have a gift for the opponents who retire. The announcement made by Chael Sonnen after the Bellator 222 is the third time anyone quits this sport after being knocked out by "The Dragon."
Machida (26-8 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), the former UFC champion, won the second round TKO of Sonnen (30-16-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) leading the match. at Madison Square Garden. After the fight, Sonnen left his gloves in the center of the cage and declared that his participation in the active competition was officially over.
Sonnen joins Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort as fighters who announced their retirement after losing to the Brazilian, but Machida said it was not something he loved. He is not proud to end someone's career, but rather sees it in a more positive light.
"To be honest, I do not think about it at all," Machida told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the 222 Bellator fight. "I think it's an honor for me to do part of his story and share the cage with Chael Sonnen, Randy Couture, Vitor Belfort, because I consider these guys to be legends of the sport.To be part of their story, I am very grateful for that. "
When he was asked outright if he thought Sonnen had made the right choice in announcing his retirement, Machida said it was not really his place to make such a judgment.
"It's up to him to play," Machida said. "It's hard to say anything about it because you have to respect everyone's time. If Chael thinks that he has to retire, we must simply respect his decision and appreciate what he does for the sport. He is considered one of the best in the sport, so you must respect him. "
Machida had largely managed to make his way with Sonnen to Bellator 222. He found himself back in the cage in the first seconds of the fight, but found himself soon after in the free space and found the right moment.
The former UFC light heavyweight title-holder struck Sonnen with a knee injury in the first but did not finish. He did the same thing in the first moments of the second round and eventually managed to get the referee to cancel the action.
Sonnen has been criticized in the past for giving up in times of adversity. Machida said that Sonnen deserved all his respect and that he had not retired after a victory, he showed his durability and his heart one last time.
"Chael is a very tough opponent," Machida said. "It was definitely my game plan to wait for the right moment. I did not know. I did not expect Chael to come too much. It comes so fast and too hard for me, so I could not control the distance right away. But I had my timing and threw the knee, and I could hit it hard. "
For full coverage of Bellator 222, see the MMA Events section of the site.
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