The gala edition which will mark the organization’s last event for the 2023 season, Karate Combat 43, will take place on December 15 in Las Vegas (USA). Besides the trilogy between the formerCFUWith Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson in the main event, the edition will also feature for the first time Lyoto Machida inside the battle arena.

Chinzo Machida, 46 years old, will face the no less experienced American Shannon Hudson (44 years old), in a special fight with a combined weight of 70.3 kg. Lyoto’s older brother, the black belt, currently runs the Machida Academy in Los Angeles, United States. In MMA, the fighter had a stint in Bellator and has a record of five wins and three losses.

“My last fight was six years ago, but since then I have continued to be active and train a lot with our professional team. With the confirmation of this fight, I intensified my specific training. My speed and timing are always up to date. I think it will be a good challenge. My opponent is a good kickboxer, but I will implement my karate game and come out victorious,” said Chinzo, who was also Lyoto’s head coach during his UFC journey, which earned him to win the light heavyweight title in 2009.

Regarding the expectation of practicing the Machida style in karate fighting, Chinzo was adamant: “Our style is perfect for the full contact rule. We train a lot on knees, crossovers, calf kicks and others which are more restricted in sport karate. Our focus is real fighting and we focus a lot on the rules of MMA. So I think the adaptation will be natural,” said Lyoto’s brother.

In addition to Chinzo Machida, the Karate Combat card will feature two other Brazilians. Antonio Arroyo from Pará will face Canadian Zakaria Benboutcha in the heavyweight division (up to 93 kg), while Gabriel Stankunas from São Paulo will face his compatriot Robbie Lavoie, in the bantamweight division (up to 61 kg).

For more information on Chinzo and Lyoto Machida, Click here