“Striking is like chess, where I put all my technique. Sometimes I make the guy walk for where I want, I make him attack me like I want to counter attack. Sometimes I leave my leg open for him to kick and then I pull his leg and kick him.”

– UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida explains to TATAME magazine how he utilizes his unique karate style to dominate his opponents. Rejecting the notion that striking is a “lottery” — where fighters look to land a single punch to end the fight — “The Dragon” instead favors picking his opponents apart from pillar to post. Machida also notes that before his and teammate Anderson Silva’s “conquest in the UFC,” there was a long tradition of Brazilian strikers, including former world lightweight boxing champion Acelino “Popó” Freitas, as well as UFC veterans Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo and Marco Ruas, the founder of Ruas Vale Tudo, a hybrid of kickboxing and Brazilian submission fighting. Perhaps it’s a good thing to note that Brazilian mixed martial artists should be remembered for more than just their sick jiu-jitsu skills. We’re now two months out from UFC 104, where Machida will look to make his first title defense against fellow-Brazilian Mauricio Rua. At 18-3, “Shogun” has earned 15 of his wins by (T)KO. Care to share your opinion about who will shout “check mate” when all is said and done?