Lyoto Machida Believes Bisping Fight Makes Sense: ‘He Might Retire Soon, I Could Retire Soon’

Moments after Lyoto Machida ended a three-bout skid with a hard-fought split verdict over Eryk Anders in the UFC Fight Night 125 headliner, he set his sights on a high-profile opponent.

“Michael Bisping, I’m here for you man,” Machida said to conclude his post-fight interview in the Octagon.

Bisping had previously targeted UFC Fight Night 127 in London on March 17 for his farewell bout, but “The Count” recently announced that he would not be competing on the card. It remains unclear if the outspoken Englishman will step into the Octagon one more time, but Machida believes a showdown with Bisping has been a long time coming.

“That’s a fight that should’ve happened a couple times and it didn’t,” Machida said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I think we’ve both matured together in the sport, so I think a fight between Michael Bisping and myself would mean a lot.”

A former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger, Machida has fallen on hard times in recent years, winning just two of his last six UFC outings. However, virtually all of his fights have been against top flight competition during that time. Faced with a relatively inexperienced opponent in his hometown, “The Dragon” found success with a familiar formula, landing straight left hands and kicks to the legs and body while consistently controlling the range of the fight.

“I just controlled the distance all the time and tried to find the right time,” Machida said on Fox Sports 1. “Eryk, he’s so smart, so he didn’t come. He just waited for me, waited for me. And I kept moving and waited for him. I hit him strong a couple times and I scored more points than him.

“I knew that he couldn’t find the distance because my distance is so good and I know that I can move all the time. So it’s hard to find me.”

While Bisping has spoken frequently of retirement in recent months, Machida turns 40 in May, so the end could be nearing for the Brazilian, as well. That’s why he believes it’s the right time to book the two former champions against each other.

“That’s a fight that should’ve happened in the past and it didn’t,” he said. “It’s just a matter of he might retire soon, I could retire sometime soon. People asked for that fight and it’s a fight that interests me.”