Well this is a side of Lyoto Machida we're not exactly used to seeing.
The soft-spoken former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion called out Chael Sonnen following his UFC Fight Night 26 main event victory over Mauricio Rua this past weekend (Aug. 17, 2013), but when that didn't build enough buzz, Machida took things to an entirely different level earlier today on Twitter.
Not just willing to fight Sonnen in the Octagon, "The Dragon" said why not just do it in a parking lot:
@sonnench Where is your parking lot? I will meet you there,so you remember my name!
— Lyoto Machida (@lyotomachidafw) August 21, 2013
So what exactly caused this?
The answer is actually pretty obvious. Sonnen got the ball rolling against the Brazilian at the UFC Fight Night 26 post-fight press conference. He had been asked about both Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida calling him out following his victory over Shogun and said this in response:
"I would beat up Vitor on the way to the ring to kick Wanderlei's ass. And I'll take there that third guy who's name I've already forgotten in the parking lot on the way to my after-party. I will take all three."
Well now the parking lot reference makes some more sense.
Sonnen is still currently mulling his options, but one potential opponent is already off the table as Belfort will be battling Dan Henderson in his next fight. Perhaps the Sonnen-Machida fight could go down after all and there won't be reason to duke it out on the way to an after-party.