In an excerpt from a Tatame (tatame.com) interview with former PRIDE Light Heavyweight Ricardo Arona (13-5-0), he says that his fellow countryman Lyoto Machida “will tire Sokoudjou out and could win”. If you remember that far back, Arona’s last fight was a knockout loss to Sokoudjou at PRIDE 34 when he was trying to avenge Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s knockout loss. Unfortunately the talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter who holds a victory over Wanderlei Silva came up short. Arona went on to say, “Sokoudjou is much more stronger than Lyoto, so that is going to be a advantage for him in the beginning of the fight”.

In what could be the fight that gets overlooked on a night with two huge co-main event fights, Sokoudjou and Machida look to put themselves into the Light Heavyweight title picture in the UFC where Quinton “Rampage” Jackson currently reigns.

You know what they say, styles make fights… Sokoudjou is looking to break the curse of PRIDE fighters who fail in the UFC, while Machida looks to prove that he belongs with the elite of the Light Heavyweights.