UFC Fight Night 70 was generally lacking in star power, but nobody could deny that the main event, a critical middleweight tilt between Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero, was an absolute treat.
The bout was a compelling contrast of styles. Machida played the role of the matador: sticking, moving and counter-punching at every opportunity. Romero, naturally, was the bull: pressing forward, exploding into every attack and staying on offense for almost the entire match.
The first two rounds were likely split on the scorecards, with Machida taking the first based on his effective footwork and hands and Romero taking the second thanks to his non-stop aggression. The fight would not leave the third, though, as Romero wrenched Machida for a scary takedown and immediately rained down short, devastating elbows. The former light heavyweight champ was left in an unconscious heap shortly thereafter, prompting the ref to come in and wave the fight to a close at 1:38 of Round 3.
Romero's victory shakes up the middleweight division in a big way and puts the Soldier of God on equal footing with fellow contenders Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for a shot at reigning middleweight champ Chris Weidman. At age 38, Romero is poised to complete an unlikely run to the title, which could cap an impressive athletic career that includes a long list of international wrestling accomplishments, most notably a silver medal in freestyle wrestling from the 2000 Olympic Games.
Unfortunately, it also marks the end of Machida's days as an elite fighter. Coming off back-to-back stoppage defeats, retirement feels like a very real possibility for the Dragon, who has lost three times in the last 12 months.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both men. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for news as it breaks.
