Lyoto confirms his stay in middleweight and aims: 'I want to be champion'

Lyoto (photo) is coming off two consecutive defeats, to L. Rockhold and Y. Romero. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Even though the UFC is going through a difficult time, Lyoto Machida believes that he still has a long future ahead of him in the biggest MMA organization on the planet, including the chance to fight for the belt again.

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The Brazilian comes from two consecutive victories in the octagon, to Luke Rockhold, in April, and Yoel romero, in June. Despite the recent negative record, the former light heavyweight champion stated that he will continue competing in the middleweight division and that he does not plan on returning to the division in which he won the title.

“I still think I have a great chance in this category, because I feel faster, stronger in it. I don't think about returning to light heavyweight again. I would like to fight for the belt. It doesn't matter who's with him, but I want to face top fighters, with the best in the world. I want to be champion again”, said Machida, in an interview with the North American television channel “AXS TV”.

At 37 years old, Lyoto sees himself competing for a while in the UFC. “I'm going to take some time off to recover my body, because I had three fights in seven months and underwent three surgeries. So, I need to take this time to rest and think. I try not to think too much about the future. I think about my story, I want to build my story, my career, and do what I love to do. Fight, train, challenge myself… I think I can easily fight for another three, four years,” he said.

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