Controversy
Jackson vs. Machida Scorecard: Did Rampage Really Beat Lyoto Machida at UFC 123?
Two judges gave Jackson the fight for his pressure in the first two rounds. Machida landed twice as many significant strikes, and Jackson himself thought he had lost.
Jackson
MachidaAt a glance
- ResultJackson by split decision - 29-28, 29-28, 28-29; referee Herb Dean
- The judgesJeff Blatnick and Sal D'Amato for Jackson, Nelson Hamilton for Machida
- The statsSignificant strikes 33-16 to Machida; total strikes 70-53 to Jackson
- The media5 of 7 media scorecards on MMADecisions had Machida winning, one Jackson, one a draw
- The winnerJackson: "Machida whupped my ass tonight."
- Our card29-28 Machida
What was at stake
Both men were former UFC light heavyweight champions coming off losses, which UFC.com and Sky Sports both note. Lyoto Machida had lost the title to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by first-round knockout at UFC 113 in May 2010, the first defeat of his career, according to his Sherdog record and Sky Sports. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson had lost a unanimous decision to Rashad Evans at UFC 114 three weeks later, according to his Sherdog record and UFC.com's preview.
The UFC announced the fight with Jackson at 30-8 and Machida at 16-1. It was not billed as a title eliminator, but UFC.com's preview said a win could put Jackson "back in the title picture", and Sky Sports wrote that he needed one to stay in it. Jackson came into the fight ill. "I caught a fever from my son, and I was throwing up, and then I had to cut the weight," he told Sherdog, and Fox Sports quotes him saying the same.
The official scorecards
Who scored it for whom, from MMADecisions; the official ufcstats record lists the same three scores, with Hamilton's as the card that went the other way. Scores are written Jackson first.
| Judge | Total | Winner on the card |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Blatnick | 29-28 | Jackson |
| Sal D'Amato | 29-28 | Jackson |
| Nelson Hamilton | 28-29 | Machida |
Referee: Herb Dean. Sherdog's live coverage, UFC.com, Fox Sports and Sky Sports all report the same three totals.
Sherdog's weekly round-up says "Jackson took the first two rounds in the judges' eyes", and Graciemag says the judges gave him the best of the first two rounds; every account of the fight gives Machida the third. That is how Blatnick and D'Amato reached 29-28. Hamilton gave Machida two of the three rounds. Only one source prints which two, so we leave his card at its total.
Round by round
Round 1 - Jackson on two cards
Jackson walked forward and Machida circled away, kicking the inside of Jackson's legs, which UFC.com, Sherdog and Fox Sports all describe. Jackson clinched Machida against the fence and landed an uppercut as Machida broke away, which Sherdog's live coverage and its analysis both report. The official numbers favour Machida: he landed 12 of 18 significant strikes to Jackson's 5 of 18, eight of them kicks to the legs. Jackson led 26-16 in total strikes, 21 of his 26 being strikes the official count does not class as significant, and had 1:03 of control to 0:18.
Round 2 - Jackson on two cards
Jackson took Machida down midway through the round, the first takedown of the fight according to UFC.com, and Machida got straight back up, which Sherdog, Fox Sports and Graciemag also report. Jackson landed an uppercut that UFC.com, Sherdog and Yahoo Sports all single out, and Machida answered with kicks and knees, according to UFC.com and Yahoo. On significant strikes the round was level, 8-7 to Machida. Jackson led 28-11 in total strikes and 6-2 in the clinch, and had the round's only takedown; Machida had 1:23 of control to Jackson's 1:02.
Round 3 - Machida, by every account
Machida rocked Jackson with a combination, which UFC.com, Sherdog, Fox Sports and Sky Sports all describe, and then took him down. One Sherdog column calls it a knockdown; every other account and the official statistics record a takedown and no knockdown. On the floor Machida passed to side control and then to full mount with under two minutes left, according to UFC.com and Sherdog, and went for an armbar, which Sherdog's analysis and Graciemag both report. Jackson lifted Machida as if to slam him, as Sherdog's live coverage describes, and Machida let go. "I almost slammed Machida, so I think it kind of worked," Jackson told Fox Sports. Accounts of the last seconds differ, so we do not describe them. The numbers were one-sided: 13 significant strikes to 4, 10 to the head against 2, and 2:55 of control to 0:17, with the round's only takedown and submission attempt.
What the numbers say
The official statistics, round by round (Jackson first):
| Round | Sig. strikes | Total strikes | Head | Legs | Clinch | Takedowns | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 5 – 12 | 26 – 16 | 4 – 1 | 1 – 8 | 2 – 2 | 0/0 – 0/0 | 1:03 – 0:18 |
| R2 | 7 – 8 | 28 – 11 | 3 – 2 | 2 – 4 | 6 – 2 | 1/1 – 0/1 | 1:02 – 1:23 |
| R3 | 4 – 13 | 16 – 26 | 2 – 10 | 1 – 2 | 2 – 2 | 0/0 – 1/2 | 0:17 – 2:55 |
| Total | 16 – 33 | 70 – 53 | 9 – 13 | 4 – 14 | 10 – 6 | 1/1 – 1/3 | 2:22 – 4:36 |
Machida landed twice as many significant strikes, 33 to 16, and landed them far more often: 65% of what he threw against Jackson's 33%. He landed 26 at distance to Jackson's 6. Jackson's case rests on the other column: 70 total strikes to 53, most of them strikes the official count does not class as significant, plus the fight's first takedown and the fact that he was the one walking forward. Sherdog's weekly round-up, citing FightMetric, reports the same totals.
What the numbers cannot show is how much each of those things was worth. The two Jackson judges valued pressure and clinch work in the first two rounds; the statistics say Machida landed more of the strikes that count in the first round and that the second was close to even.
The media mostly sided with Machida. Of the seven media scorecards collected by MMADecisions, five had Machida winning, one had Jackson and one had a draw.
How we scored it
| Round | MMA.SOCIAL | Why |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | 10-9 Machida | 12-5 in significant strikes and eight kicks to the legs; Jackson's pressure and the clinch uppercut were not enough to match it. |
| R2 | 10-9 Jackson | The takedown, the uppercut and 28-11 in total strikes, with significant strikes almost level. |
| R3 | 10-9 Machida | He rocked Jackson, took him down, reached mount and went for an armbar: 13-4 in significant strikes and 2:55 of control. |
| Total | 29-28 Machida |
Our card matches Hamilton's total. The first round decides the fight, and it is a fair argument: Jackson was the aggressor and landed more strikes overall, and two judges rewarded that. We give it to Machida because his strikes were the ones that landed clean and counted, and because the clinch work that padded Jackson's total did little damage.
The third round was Machida's clearest, but we stop at 10-9. UFC.com's Michael DiSanto, who scored the fight for Jackson, wrote: "There is no plausible argument for scoring the third 10-8." We agree: Machida had the better of it throughout, but Jackson was never close to being finished.
What happened next
Jackson said straight away that he thought he had lost. "Machida whupped my ass tonight," he said, as UFC.com and Sky Sports both report. Asked whether his aggression had won it, he said: "I think that's the only thing that got me the decision." He offered a rematch on the spot. "That fight was so close, it was unfair for Machida. I have to give him a rematch," he told Graciemag, and Yahoo Sports reports the same offer. Machida said: "I did the best I could tonight, but if the judges say Quinton won, then Quinton won," according to Yahoo Sports.
Dana White disagreed with both of them. "Rampage was the aggressor the whole time," he said, according to Sherdog, and he ruled out an immediate rematch, which Sherdog and Fox Sports both report.
The two did not meet again in the next year, but their paths ran side by side. Machida stopped Randy Couture with a front kick at 1:05 of the second round at UFC 129 on April 30, 2011, according to his Sherdog record and UFC.com. Jackson beat Matt Hamill by unanimous decision at UFC 130 a month later and then challenged Jon Jones for the title. Jones submitted him with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round at UFC 135 on September 24, 2011, according to Sherdog and UFC.com. Machida fought Jones next, at UFC 140 on December 10, 2011, and lost to a guillotine choke in the second round, which Sherdog and UFC.com both record as a technical submission.
The verdict
Jackson vs. Machida went to the wrong man on our card, and the winner said so himself. Machida landed twice as many significant strikes, won the third round clearly by every account, and the media scorecards favoured him five to one. It was not an outrageous robbery: the first round was close enough that pressure and clinch work could fairly decide it, and two judges thought they did. But the better fighter that night was Machida, and 29-28 for him is also the most common score in the MMADecisions fan poll.
Full fight stats: Jackson vs. Machida. The rest of the night: UFC 123. More: the fighters with the most split decisions, the most disputed losses and the most decisions.
Sources
- UFCStats round-by-round statistics (scrape_ufc_stats mirror)
- MMADecisions - Quinton Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
- UFC - Rampage decisions Machida
- UFC - UFC 123 Musings
- UFC - Rampage readies for the Machida riddle
- UFC - Rampage vs. Machida set for UFC 123
- Sherdog - UFC 123 results and live play-by-play
- Sherdog - Rampage overcomes illness to defeat Machida
- Sherdog - UFC 123 analysis: the main card
- Sherdog - The Weekly Wrap, Nov. 20-26
- Sherdog - UFC 123 postmortem
- Sherdog - Quinton Jackson fight record
- Sherdog - Lyoto Machida fight record
- Yahoo Sports - Rampage takes split decision at UFC 123
- Fox Sports - UFC 123 round-by-round blog
- Fox Sports - Win puts Rampage in line for rematch
- Sky Sports - Jackson goes on the Rampage
- Graciemag - UFC 123: Rampage edges Lyoto
- Graciemag - Rampage surprised with win: "I have to give him a rematch"
Questions
Who won Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida?
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, by split decision at UFC 123 on November 20, 2010. Jeff Blatnick and Sal D'Amato scored it 29-28 for Jackson and Nelson Hamilton scored it 29-28 for Machida.
What was the Jackson vs. Machida scorecard?
Two cards of 29-28 for Jackson and one of 29-28 for Machida. The judges who scored it for Jackson gave him the first two rounds and Machida the third; the third judge gave Machida two of the three rounds.
Was Jackson vs. Machida a robbery?
We scored it 29-28 for Machida, and five of the seven media scorecards on MMADecisions agreed. Machida landed 33 significant strikes to 16. But the first round was close enough to go either way, so we call it a wrong decision rather than an outrageous one.
Did Rampage Jackson say Machida beat him?
Yes. After the fight he said "Machida whupped my ass tonight," as UFC.com and Sky Sports report, and offered Machida a rematch. Dana White said Jackson won because he was the aggressor and ruled the rematch out.
Who landed more strikes in Jackson vs. Machida?
Machida landed more significant strikes, 33 to 16, according to the official statistics. Jackson landed more strikes in total, 70 to 53, most of them strikes the official count does not class as significant.
