Businessman explains Lyoto's refusal to fight Jones: “He wants to be 100%”

Ed Soares (left) says he supports Lyoto (right) not having agreed to face Jones at UFC 152

The Brazilian Lyoto Machida was first in line to replace the injured Dan Henderson and face Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight belt. But the Bahian karateka preferred to refuse to fight at UFC 151, on September 1st, and also at UFC 152, on the 22nd of the same month, citing a lack of time to prepare for the fight.

Although the opportunity was not taken advantage of, Lyoto's manager, Ed Soares, agreed with the refusal of the fight and even stated that a new defeat for Jones could mean the end of his dream for the belt in the light heavyweight category.

“Any guy who lost to a champion twice basically has to reinvent himself and probably change divisions. For the UFC, potentially, it's just another event. It's just UFC 151 or 152 or whatever, but for Lyoto it's the biggest challenge of his life. I know that in Lyoto's heart and in his mind, he believes he can still be the light heavyweight champion. So if he's going to take advantage of this opportunity, he wants to be 100%. Because if he loses, it's not just like losing another fight. He will really have to reinvent himself and find out what he is going to do”, said the businessman in an interview with the North American website radio MMAWeekly.

With his refusal to face Jones, Lyoto is still waiting for the organization of the show to decide his next UFC opponent.