UFC Fight Night 70 results recap: Lyoto Machida vs Yoel Romero fight review and analysis

To watch Yoel Romero vs. Lyoto Machida full fight video highlights, including the incredible finish, click here!!!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweights Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero clashed last night (June 27, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 70 inside Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Machida entered this fight coming off a very tough loss to Luke Rockhold. Despite the damage he absorbed, Machida opted for a quick turn around against another very dangerous fighter in Romero, as he was looking to get right back into the title hunt.

Since entering the UFC, Romero has been ruining his opponents. Despite his Olympic wrestling background, "Soldier of God" has been choosing to stand and bang with his foes, and it's been working quite well.

In this bout, Romero used a mix of his incredible talents to find the finish.

The two fighters exchanged kicks at range to start the fight. Past the halfway point in the round, neither man had really committed to any punches at all, as they traded kicks. Romero controlled the center of the Octagon and had the edge in volume, but Machida seemed to be landing the cleaner kicks.

With about a minute and a half remaining, the fighters began exchanging just a bit more. It was very clearly a battle of finesse and sudden power, and it was far from clear which fighter emerged ahead at the end of the round.

In the first big exchange of the second round, both men landed cleanly. After a few moments of distance striking, Machida landed hard with perhaps his best left hand of the fight. Romero attempted to switch things up a bit with a momentary clinch, but nothing came from it for either fighter.

For the first half of the second round, Machida seemed to be gaining some momentum. However, Romero turned it up in the second half, demonstrating his incredible speed to land some slick left hands and counter punches.

Overall, it was another extremely closer round.

Romero opened the third round with a nice uppercut and low kick. The pace then slowed down a bit, as both men returned to trading kicks.

Suddenly, Romero landed a knee pick takedown from the clinch. Just a few seconds later, he opened up with a series of elbows from half guard which connected cleanly to Machida's jaw. By the third elbow of five, Machida was bouncing in and out of consciousness, and the referee stopped the fight.

This was a major win for Romero. He went toe-to-toe with the Karate master for two full rounds and more than held his own, as it was extremely even. Then, he used a quick takedown to shift the momentum in his favor, but instead it resulted in a nasty finish. Romero has never really been known for his ground striking, but it was enough to dismantle the former champion here.

Romero may just be the most explosive athlete in the sport. His ability to suddenly cover distance is unmatched, and his reactions are pretty incredible as well. It was definitely close, but Romero got the better of most punching exchanges with his opponent.

That's a major accomplishment against such an experienced striker.

After this victory, Romero should face off with "Jacare" Souza. That match up has been made and scrapped a couple times now, but it simply needs to happen.

"The Machida Era" is well and truly over. It's sad to see, but Machida was just a bit slower than his opponent. He was unable to land anything truly significant or hurt Romero, and that left him in a bad position. He wasn't getting lit up, but it's never good to have so many even exchanges with an opponent that's vastly more powerful.

At this point, Machida's future is unclear. He's now fallen to three of the top five opponents in the division in pretty violent fashion and future match ups against the division's elite would likely end in a similar result.

If Machida's only goal is to become a champion, he's at the end of the road. However, if Machida simply wants to keep testing himself against talented fighters, there are plenty of fights for him in the middleweight division.

Last night, Yoel Romero ended a competitive fight with Lyoto Machida in violent fashion. Can the Olympic medalist become a UFC champion?

For complete UFC Fight Night 70 "Machida vs Romero" results and play-by-play, click HERE!