Lyoto Machida Breaks Silence on Bellator Signing

Long-time UFC veteran and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida signed on with Bellator MMA in a sudden announcement yesterday. As the 40-year old Dragon embarks on his next, and perhaps final, chapter of his MMA career, he took to Instagram to speak to his supporters to share his thoughts on his new journey:

“Hello everyone, I’m here to announce a great change in my career,” Machida said. “My contract with UFC has finished, and I’m going to a new house: Bellator, which is a great MMA event that has been growing a lot here in the United States. I’m very grateful for everything that happened with me in the UFC.

“I’m very happy with everything I lived. I believe that everything in our lives is made of periods. All that comes is great and all that goes is also great. We have to be open to new changes, new challenges. This is how I think. My best regards to all of you, and I wish you keep on supporting me, because everytime I fight and everytime I practice, I do my best for all of you.”

The timing for Machida’s move seems fruitful for Machida, as his back-to back wins likely led to a more lucrative contract than if he had made the jump, say, on the three-fight losing skid prior to those wins, obviously. And his last bout, which featured a highlight-reel front kick of Vitor Belfort certainly didn’t hurt his value, either. We at MMA News wish the legendary Machida nothing but the best in this next chapter of his Hall-of-Fame career.