ANAHEIM, Calif. – Lyoto Machida is one win away from fighting again for the UFC light heavyweight title.

He'll face veteran slugger Dan Henderson on Saturday in the non-women's main event of UFC 157 at the Honda Center, with a spot at stake against the winner of the April 27 title fight between champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen.

Lyoto Machida works with Melvin Manhoef during a public workout. (USA Today Sports)Machida enters the Henderson fight at a strange spot in his career though, suddenly more vulnerable than ever and unable to put together any kind of streak. The seemingly untouchable fighter of the early part of his career has vanished, replaced by an easier-to-hit, aging version of himself.

After his first seven UFC fights, when he was 7-0 and held the 205-pound belt, Machida was the UFC's most difficult fighter to hit. According to Fight Metric, he only took 0.75 strikes per minute, far better than the UFC average of 2.61.

His striking defense, which measures the percentage of strikes avoided, was similarly strong. His rate of 73.6 percent far

Read More »from Lyoto Machida needs to find his old magic or he could find himself out of the UFC

The wristwatch Floyd Mayweather wore Thursday to a Detroit news conference was probably worth more than Robert Guerrero's Gilroy, Calif., home.

Mayweather probably made 25 times more money in 2012 – a conservative estimate – than Guerrero has made in his nearly 12-year career. When they meet on May 4 in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view for Mayweather's welterweight title, the income disparity between them will only widen.

On many levels, the differences between the men are vast. Mayweather is an iconic figure headed for the Hall of Fame. Guerrero is a largely anonymous fighter best known for the grace he showed while caring for a seriously ill wife.

But there is one striking similarity between them that at least gives Guerrero a fighting chance to become the first man in 44 tries to defeat Mayweather.

Guerrero has the sharp, analytical mind that long has been Mayweather's greatest asset. For all of his physical skills, Mayweather's ability to outthink his opponents is

Read More »from Mind over matter: Robert Guerrero has instincts to give Floyd Mayweather tough fight

Dan Henderson laughs softly and answers a familiar question, "Oh yeah, I feel great. Fine."

Then, the 42-year-old perpetual contender sighs. It's as if every fall and every kick and every punch sting a bit more now. Dan Henderson answers questions from a fan during an expo. (Getty)

Since defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 139 on Nov. 19, 2011, in what many regard as the greatest fight in UFC history, Henderson has been on the sidelines.

He waited for a title shot for what seemed like ages. And when he was finally days away from getting a crack at Jon Jones' light heavyweight belt at UFC 151, he injured a knee and had to pull out.

It will be a year, three months and four days between trips to the Octagon for Henderson.

Henderson is only eight years away from qualifying for an AARP card, but says he doesn't have battle fatigue. He's been fighting professionally for almost 16 years and had been wrestling for years before that.

He's probably taken tens of thousands of spills in his life. What's another one or 100?

"Hey," he added

Read More »from Window closing on Dan Henderson as he continues hunt for UFC light heavyweight title

Nothing changes for Floyd Mayweather Jr. He'll fight when he wants to fight, against the opponent he handpicks. He'll fight in the venue he decides upon and he'll have final say over everything from the music in the arena to the color of the towels in the locker room.

Floyd Mayweather signals to the crowd after a win. (Getty)The only thing the six-fight, 30-month deal he signed with Showtime will unquestionably change is his payday. 

The guy's already known as "Money" because he's the world's highest paid athlete, according to Forbes. But after signing Showtime's massive deal, Mayweather may want to consider upgrading his name to "Mega-Money."

"He was already, by far, the highest-paid fighter in the world," Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said. "This is going to take him to a whole other level."

In 1990, promoter Don King pulled a similar move when he engineered Mike Tyson's exit from HBO and convinced the former heavyweight champion to sign a lucrative deal with Showtime.

Landing Tyson in those days was like getting a

Read More »from 'Money' move: As always, Floyd Mayweather Jr. came out on top in his jump from HBO to Showtime

Floyd Mayweather has, for several years, been the highest-paid athlete in sports, not just boxing. But Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said the multi-fight deal the superstar boxer signed with Showtime Sports will take it to another level.

Mayweather rejected a multi-fight deal from longtime television partner HBO to sign with archrival Showtime. His first bout under the terms of the new deal will be on May 4 in Las Vegas on Showtime pay-per-view against Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden.

Floyd Mayweather's last bout was a May 5 win over Miguel Cotto. (AP Photo)In June, Forbes ranked Mayweather atop its 100 highest-paid athletes list with earnings of $85 million.

"This is an enormous deal and – and I want you to use all of these words – Showtime really, really, really, really, really stepped up in what they offered Floyd," Ellerbe said. "The actual terms are confidential, but the deal [Showtime] offered, from top to bottom, was substantially better than what we received from HBO. Substantially better. They made it clear,

Read More »from Money man: Floyd Mayweather leaves HBO for lucrative deal with Showtime, will fight May 4

Liz Carmouche was a few months past her 20th birthday in 2004 when she decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. The war in Iraq was raging and Carmouche yearned to be part of the battle.

She got her wish, serving three tours in Iraq during her five-plus-year stint as an aviation electrician in the Marine Corps. Each day, though, she awakened with a knot in her stomach, and it had nothing to do with a fear of combat. 

Carmouche is a lesbian and served in the Marines when the "Don't ask, don't tell," policy was in effect. In order to keep the job she loved, the very one that would enable her to go to college and set her up for the rest of her life, she had to live a lie. Liz Carmouche looks on before a fight. (MMAWeekly)

As best she could, she hid her sexual orientation so as not to arouse suspicion. Even worse, her best friend in the Marines, a woman she identifies only as "Kim," was a gay basher.

"There was a constant fear I'd be outed," Carmouche said. "It made it so hard. It was one of the most difficult things I've

Read More »from Courageous Liz Carmouche isn't dwelling on sexual orientation ahead of Ronda Rousey clash

GLENDALE, Calif. – Ronda Rousey is part Dana White, plenty of Anderson Silva. She's a little Nick Diaz and a lot of Anna Kournikova. 

As the UFC women's bantamweight champion, Rousey is frequently funny, occasionally crude and always blunt, direct and outspoken.

Rousey is 6-for-6 as a professional, scoring all of her wins by first-round arm bar. It's a move famously taught to her by her mother and which she describes as the same feeling as yanking a drumstick off the Thanksgiving turkey.

"It's kind of gross," the 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist said, wrinkling her nose. "But I do what I have to do. They always have the option of tapping." Ronda Rousey attempts to submit Sarah Kaufman. (MMAWeekly)

Rousey's unique blend of California blonde good looks, feisty attitude and world-class athleticism has made her one of the most in-demand female athletes in the world. She's been even more dominant in her brief pro career than Silva, the UFC's record-setting middleweight champion.

Rousey turned pro on March 27, 2011. On March 3, 2012,

Read More »from Ronda Rousey's unique blend of personality, skill and drive make her a promoter's dream

Renan Barao might be the UFC featherweight champion today were it not for his close friendship with Jose Aldo, the guy who actually holds the 145-pound belt.

So Barao simply dropped a division and got himself a belt there. On Saturday, he retained the UFC interim bantamweight championship at Wembley Arena in London by submitting Michael McDonald with an arm triangle at 3:57 of the fourth round.

That sets up a potentially massive fight with injured champion Dominick Cruz.

Cruz, though, has had two knee surgeries since he last fought on Oct. 1, 2011, when he defended his title against Demetrious Johnson. His return date is unknown, but it's a good bet he won't be back until at least the summer.

If it's any later, though, it may jeopardize a high-profile match with Barao, who won his 20th consecutive match in the back-and-forth affair with McDonald.

Aldo is set to defend his title on Aug. 3 against Anthony Pettis. If he wins that match, he's likely to move to lightweight.

Read More »from Renan Barao further cements legitimacy; dream showdown with Dominick Cruz up next?