UFC 157: Machida vs. Henderson

Lyoto Machida (18-3) vs. Dan Henderson (29-8)

In a rematch of earlier this year Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson will come to blows in the top men’s fight on UFC 157’s main card Saturday night.

These two last fought Feb. 23 in a light heavyweight title eliminator bout. Machida won via split decision in a controversial fight, setting the duo up for this rematch. Machida, a former divisional champ, has won two in a row since losing to Jon Jones in an attempt to reclaim the belt. Henderson is the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ and has won four in a row after moving to the light heavyweight division, a streak that was snapped by the loss to Machida. "The Dragon" Machida is understandably the favorite after beating Henderson the last time out, but that fight was a toss-up, and Henderson has the power to end this fight with one clean punch. Take the money and HENDERSON in this one.

Machida first won the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2009 against Rashad Evans and successfully defended it once, beating Mauricio Rua, who knocked him out in their next bout to take the title. He is now 3-3 in his past six fights. Nine of Machida’s career 18 wins have been decisions while he also owns seven knockouts and two submissions. The 6-foot-1 karate champ can win this one if it gets to the judges, but he has to be wary of Henderson’s aggressive attacks and can’t count on making it to the final bell.

Before losing to Machida, Henderson had four impressive wins against Rua, Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante and Renato Sobral. His wins are split between knockouts and decisions, but as the last fight showed, he can’t afford to let this one reach a decision. A former Division I wrestler, he lives off the takedown, but he supplements that with an ambidextrous punching arsenal.