• UFC 130

Machida isn't only man Shogun would back to beat Jones

Ben Blackmore
May 26, 2011
Shogun Rua backs himself to gain revenge on Jon Jones

Mauricio Shogun Rua has clarified comments he previously made about betting on Lyoto Machida to beat Jon Jones, saying he merely meant that anybody in the top five of the light-heavyweight division could beat the champion on their day.

Shogun, who lost his belt to Jones at UFC 128, raised eyebrows when he said "I would bet" on Machida to defeat Jones. Shogun had previously defeated Machida but lost heavily to Jones, so the quote came shrouded with intrigue.

However, the Brazilian told ESPN he meant anybody in the top five is good enough to shock Jones on the right day, and he even backed himself to avenge his own defeat in the future.

"Lyoto is in the top five, just as Jon Jones is in the top five," Shogun said to ESPN. "Whenever you pit two top-five athletes against each other, there is no favourite. Anybody can win.

"The same can be said for any of the guys, like Rashad [Evans], anybody at the top of the rankings can beat each other on any given day. You can't have a favourite, especially in this weight class."

Asked if he would bet on himself to beat Jon Jones, Shogun replied: "Of course, I am always confident and would always bet on my game. I always trust myself."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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