#4 Lyoto Machida vs Phil Davis
The fight between Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis was a highly anticipated bout at the time to determine the future of the light heavyweight division and the line of contenders in the upper echelon of the division.
On paper, Davis presented a lot of problems for Machida. Critics had already given Davis an obvious advantage on the ground, being the bigger and stronger fighter and even expected him to dominate in the clinch. The only area in which Davis had a significant disadvantage in the fight was in the stand-up department.
This was not going to be the first time that Davis had nullified an elite striker with great movement, though. He had already done so against the up and coming Alexander Gustaffson.
Meanwhile, when the fight actually took place, things did not go according to the script.
Machida avoided most of the takedown attempts by Davis, spent very little time in the clinch and went on to dominate and subdue his opponent’s attacks. Not only was Davis rattled while standing up but he was also forced to work harder going for takedowns in a desperate attempt to score some points.
Almost everyone, including Dana White saw Machida winning all three rounds but the decision did not reflect the same. Not that it was a close split decision that could have gone the other way on another night, the fight was ruled to be a unanimous decision victory for Phil Davis.
The judges scoring the contest were highly criticised by all media outlets but the decision was not overturned and it still counts as an L on Machida’s illustrious record.
