Lyoto Machida - In The Blood

The son never had a chance.

There would be no soccer fields or jiu-jitsu mats for Lyoto Machida, at least not at that point, especially not if his father had a say in the matter. And as the head of the family, Yoshizo Machida did have the last word, so when his son was three, he began training in the family business – not as a banker, a farmer, a storekeeper, or a craftsman, but as a martial artist.

Studying Shotokan Karate under his father, a renowned Master who had left Japan for a new life in Salvador, Brazil, young Lyoto was a quick study in the art of combat, but what he was being taught went far beyond blocks, kicks, and katas.

“My father always taught me to be an honest man with integrity,” said the younger Machida, now 26, through his manager / translator Ed Soares. “He also showed me the path of being a true fighter through Oriental Philosophy.”

And as he grew older, Machida would find time for the usual pursuits of youth, but he never strayed far away from a gym or dojo, whether it was to study and compete in karate, sumo wrestling, or the art usually associated with Brazil, Jiu-Jitsu. There was no doubt – young Machida was going to be a fighter.

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