- Joined
- Mar 28, 2022
- Messages
- 2,179
- Reaction score
- 3,532
By not challenging for the 205 belt. Double champ status would have boosted his already strong claim to GOAT status and its not like he wasn't capable of doing it. He dispatched Forrest like no one ever had previously and would have been a threat to anyone in title contention at the time. I understand that Lyoto was his friend at the time and he didn't want to fight him but, it's not like he couldn't have got the belt before that and vacated or after Lyoto lost the belt. It's not like Machida went on to be a dominant champion, he lost his first defense to Shogun. And after that he had many chances to fight for the belt if he chose to but instead went on to fight Irving and Bonnar. This and the losing skid he went out on Post Weidman 2 are my only real criticisms of an otherwise amazing career.