It has been a tough 2015 for former light-heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. He entered the middleweight division with high hopes for a title run. Back-to-back losses to 185 pound contenders Luke Rockhold and Yoel Romero have put and end to The Dragon's title hopes.
But as he told Globo, he'll use those losses as a learning experience, since he feels it's time for a fresh start in his career.
"It's too soon to talk about a title shot now. This is the time to restart. It doesn't matter what's my number in the rankings, I need to restart, analyze what I'm doing, my training and properly get ready for my next camp. That's my goal now. I can't stop to think. Every fight is a new story, a new training camp. Everything I've won so far won't matter and the same goes for everything I've lost."
As for who he would like to face in this new stage of his career, there already is one name in his mind: Michael Bisping.
"I think he's a great fighter. He comes from some wins. I'd like to test my style against his. I have nothing personal against him. I'm a professional and I believe he has that professional behavior, too. I want to show my work and see how my game fits his. He's been in the UFC for a long time and always among the top guys. It would be interesting to fight him."
Bisping, who has been recently linked to a possible fight with Anderson Silva in Brazil, is already scheduled to take on Robert Whittaker in November.