Lyoto Machida just did it again, folks.
In the opening bout of UFC 224, Machida met fellow Brazilian MMA legend Vitor Belfort in what looks likely to be Belfort’s final contest inside the UFC. And, similarly to when he met Randy Couture in his retirement bout, Machida put Belfort into a highlight reel forever.
After a tentative first round, the pair met in the centre of the cage, before suddenly Machida threw a picture perfect front kick to Belfort’s face, instantly dropping ‘The Phenom’ and putting an end to the fight.
Oh. My. Word.
Knockout of the Year, 2018: Lyoto Machida 😳 #UFC224 pic.twitter.com/4pJopR3yrI
— UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington on BT Sport (@btsportufc) May 13, 2018
And in victory, Machida made sure to put a stamp on the victory, calling out another middleweight legend.
“Michael Bisping, I’m still waiting for you man,” Machida said post-fight. “If you wanna retire, you got to fight me first.”