RIO DE JANEIRO – Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida doesn’t know Vitor Belfort like the back of his hand. But the two did train together. Around 2010, the ex-champions shared time at the Black House gym in Southern California. The relationship fell short of avowed teammates, because they didn’t have enough time to forge that bond. “We never had something really serious, like training for a fight together,” Machida (23-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) told MMAjunkie. When the idea of fighting Belfort (26-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) recently came up, Machida viewed it as an exciting opportunity rather than a betrayal of a bond, as frequently is the case when training histories enter the picture.
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Ex-UFC champ Lyoto Machida explains ties to Vitor Belfort in advance of showdown – MMA Junkie