Machida Silences Haters: I’m Not Too Old To Beat Weidman

Lyoto Machida is getting ready to fight Chris Weidman for the middleweight title tomorrow, and took a minute to silence the critics who say at 36 years of age, he is too old to beat a younger, undefeated Chris Weidman. Machida spoke to Yahoo! Sports saying:

“I have to train a lot smarter, but that is one of the things I’ve learned over the years, how to do things better and get the same result. I don’t recover as quickly at 36 as I did at 26, but I’m smarter and more intelligent now than I was then. That makes a big difference. I’m more efficient. I’m more experienced as a fighter, obviously, and that makes a difference and will be helpful to me. But as a man, I’m more experienced in life. I have experienced a lot of victories and I’ve been through some defeats and tough times. But I’ve learned from all of that and I’m a smarter, better person than I was before.”

“I feel the difference at this weight, and it’s all to my benefit. I’m much stronger but at the same time, I’m much faster. I felt I was a fast fighter at 205 pounds, but I’ve gotten even faster and quicker. And now when I’m fighting guys who aren’t as big, my strength will be even more of an advantage. So I’m not feeling pressure or any sense of urgency. I’m the best I’ve ever been, in terms of my skills, my understanding of what is going on in the Octagon and my conditioning. I’m confident that if I do what I’ve trained to do, I can win this title. My age isn’t a factor at all, in my opinion.”

Yesterday news broke that Machida said during an interview that he was also contemplating a drop to welterweight.

What do you think PENNation? Will Machida’s age play a factor in Saturday night’s fight.