Machida's Weakness: The Clinch?

An excellent post I found on Sherdog

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f2/lyoto-business-end-lyoto-absorbing-strikes-gifs-updated-1070196/

I don't think that is his weakness. Good post, but it's made people think Page would have a shot against Machida, which is absurd.

Maybe Shogun puts out some MT knees and elbows from the clinch. I still personally think it backs up my claim as Hendo being the biggest threat to Machida. (Not counting Anderson)

Someone is going to have to get lucky against Machida and land a clean punch because right now, he's too sharp everywhere else. With the way he manhandled TIto and Rameau, I don't think the clinch will be too big of a problem.

hrmm... Machida is great in the clinch... he has great TDD and sick leg sweeps.. He actually takes "a couple" punches from the clinch because he cant use his quickness and evasiveness to avoid them there.. and that's his weakness... if those gifs had continued to play it would show him throwing them on there back like a rag doll or putting a knee into them that dropped them..

when has machida been put on his back? And where are all the GIFS of him feeding his knees into people..

I dunno it just seemed like the post is taking things out of context .. he gets a 5 second bit of the whole fight and says, "See he gets punched!"

I know I am in the minority, but I think Shogun will beat Machida. Machida is undefeated, but I think the LHW division in the UFC is as close to parity as you can get. The last time ANYONE successfully defended the belt was Rampage defending against Henderson. He loses to Forrest, Forrest loses to Rashad, and Machida beats Rashad.

I just think this division is so balanced that it all comes down to matchups. I recognize that Machida is undefeated and has lost one round in all of his fights, but Shogun has a ridiculous resume. If he returns to pre-injury shogun form, I think he has the best chance to beat Machida and defend the belt. He's the most well rounded fighter Machida will have faced, and the most well-rounded fighter in the division.

Don't roast me, just not sold on Machida. Let him defend his title before everyone thinks he's invincible.

I'm with Golbez, so Machida gets hit once or twice in the course of a fight...big freakin deal.

Thus far Machida's game has no weaknesses to speak of. Eventually someone will expose a weakness and beat him. He won't hold the belt long because the division is supercompetitive. Someone's going to catch him with a hard shot and finish him. It probably won't be Shogun because Shogun doesn't have the raw power to do it. I think Rampage could do it and possibly Hendo too. Hell, I'd like to see Thiago Silva get a rematch.

They are out of their gourd! Machida was beating the sht out of people in the clinch, including Shad. His clinch fighting set up Shad for the end when he stepped back, leaned in and started tagging him. Stupid assessment.

His clinch looks good to me. Shogun will have his troubles and I actually think Shogun will have to take chances to pressure Machida and in the mean time try not to get caught. I think he can do this and I see really no real weaknesses in machidas game at all.

If Shogun is his Pride-self, than he has the best chance of beating Machida, but I don't see how this fight will be any different than Machida's bout with Thiago Silva.

Watch saturday and u will see how its different lol.