Would you really blame Lyoto Machida if he sized up the current Bellator championship picture and concluded that he had the easiest path to champ-champ status in mixed martial arts history?
After all, the former UFC light heavyweight titleholder — who makes his Bellator debut on Saturday night against Rafael Carvalho in a middleweight co-feature bout at Bellator 213 in Honolulu, Hawaii — already holds victories over the fighters who hold Bellator’s gold in his two weight classes.
Gegard Mousasi, the current Bellator middleweight champion, faced Machida on a UFC card in Brazil in 2014.