Wouldn't it feel awesome if you had a secret weapon that almost no one else did? In the end, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida does. It's called karate.
Funny, huh? Years ago, hardcore fans would have laughed if you mentioned karate and MMA in the same breath. They would've said that karate had already been proven ineffective during the early UFC years when Royce Gracie and his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu reigned supreme. But as Lee Corso often says, "Not so fast, my friend."
The bottom line is that karate is enjoying an MMA resurgence these days. And as Lyoto Machida readies to put his UFC light heavyweight title on the line against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104, it must feel good to know that he understands MMA's new secret weapon better than anyone else.
Calling him an aberration may not work anymore, either. Vitor Belfort, fresh off of a dominating victory over Rich "Ace" Franklin at UFC 103, is giving karate major credit for his recent resurgence. "My new weapon that I'm adding to my game is karate," Belfort told MMAJunkie.com. "It's just something that I want to use right now. I was taking my time. I was feeling the fight. As soon as I see something, I make sure I have the zip code, the address and the social security number. I don't like to throw things away."
Of course, this secret MMA weapon is continually becoming less and less secret, even if people are having loads of trouble figuring out how to counteract it. Machida's Shotokan experience is what separates him from the crowd; it's what makes him so dangerous. And that could be bad news for Rua as the two ready for UFC 104.
In fact, it may be bad news for everyone else in the division.
