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Bellator MMA’s new relationship with Showtime continues with another Friday night that’s alright for fighting. Just as we did last week, we’re headlining with a rematch, although this one is almost nine years in the making. At UFC on FOX 4 in Los Angeles, Calif., Lyoto Machida knocked out Ryan Bader in the second round at a point in his career where Bader says he, “knew nothing about striking.” Now, he’s eager to find out how much he’s improved over the last decade by running this fight back a second time.
At age 37, there’s no doubt that Bader has developed from a collegiate wrestling stud to a full-fledged striker, grappler and submission arts practitioner in the intervening years. Even so, “Darth” can’t allow himself to take “The Dragon” lightly. It’s true that Machida lost each of his last two fights, but if you’re losing to both Phil Davis and Gegard Mousasi by split decision, those losses are at least partial victories. In neither case did Machida get finished and in both cases he made it hard for the judges to choose a winner.