Lyoto Machida Wants To Eventually Pursue Bellator Light Heavyweight Title

Lyoto Machida plans on moving back up to the 205-pound division eventually.

Machida is set to make his Bellator debut on Dec. 15. He’ll go one-on-one with former Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho. The bout will be held on the Bellator 213 card.

Machida’s immediate goal is to get past Carvalho so he can challenge the winner of Gegard Mousasi vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. for the Bellator middleweight title. Still, Machida told MMAJunkie.com that he’d also like a crack at the light heavyweight gold:

“When I signed with Bellator, my offer was to flow between the two divisions. To fight in below, above, to take on great challenges. And I’m trying to always pursue that: challenges. And, for me, the 205-pound division is a challenge, as well. Ryan Bader has always shown himself an upstanding guy. He’s a very honorable fighter in what he does, you can see that on his behavior, and all. But, as professionals, we want to face the best. And I, for sure, also want to fight the 205-pound champion, who is Ryan Bader.”

Machida is coming off a knockout victory over Vitor Befort at UFC 224. “The Dragon” made the move to Bellator to fulfill a promise he made to the promotion’s president Scott Coker. Machida is a winner of two straight and he’ll be looking for his first three-fight winning streak since he was undefeated.