Machida Overcoming the Pressures of Being the Champ

Lyoto Machida is ready to defend his championship belt for the first time.

Lyoto Machida will look to do something that neither Rashad Evans nor Forrest Griffin could accomplish — successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight title.

Machida will be facing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 104 inside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the UFC light heavyweight title.

Since he lifted the title off of Evans at UFC 98, Machida admits that his popularity has grown and that the distractions have grown immensely.

However, he is thankful that he has the right support system that is keeping him grounded heading into such a marquee fight.

“Thank God, I have a team that protects me from [distractions,]” Machida said through his translator/manager Ed Soares during a UFC 104 conference call. “My biggest worry and thing I’m most concerned with is: what my goals are and keep that belt and keep winning that belt and putting on good performances.”

Whether it’s the extra attention or the more media demand, being the champion is different than being a contender hunting.

But Machida (15-0) isn’t too concerned with maintaining his hunger to keep the title. His approach as the champion is the same as he was the challenger — the belt is available for the taking.

“Basically, my thought and feelings are not much different than before,” Machida said. “I came in to get the belt. I look at it that I’m not there to defend, but to win it again. It’s the same thought process. I’m prepared to go in there and win the belt again.”

The last time this amount of pressure was on him was during his UFC 84 bout with Tito Ortiz, a fight that Machida called special more due to the circus atmosphere surrounding the bout rather than the technical aspect.

Machida was simply a fighter in there to defeat Ortiz and send the Huntington Beach Bad Boy out of the UFC with a loss.

“Every fight presents a different level of difficulty,” Machida said. “I had a lot of weight on my shoulders to beat Tito. It was more political reasons. I started to feel the pressure, and more of the mental pressure of that fight.”

With Rua (18-3), Machida will face the pressure of a former PRIDE light heavyweight grand prix winner and a fighter known for his hyper-aggressive style.

On paper, the bout should be exciting, but with the patience of Machida there is always a risk of a slow, methodical bout — or in the case of many casual fans — a boring one.

That type of talk doesn’t bother Machida. He said that it’s difficult for a fan to understand what’s going inside of a fighter’s head, but he pushes the idea that all fighters want to put on a good performance.

“Sometimes two guys go in and not end up as a highlight reel knockout,” Machida said. “It’s a strategic game. It’s like a chess game. People are always looking for people to more the wrong piece.”

Machida respects Shogun, calling him a “respectful” person, and is leery of Rua’s past accomplishments.

“He’s had a lot of success,” Machida said. “We both want to be the light heavyweight champion.”