Machida still hoping for another title shot, wants 4 fights in 2018

While one Brazilian MMA great fighting at UFC 224 on Saturday expects it to be his last bout, another seems to just be getting started on another leg of his career.

Lyoto Machida, who turns 40 years old at the end of the month, says he's hoping to get a win over 41-year-old Vitor Belfort not just to build a winning streak, but so that he can work all the way back into the title picture.

"My focus is to add another win to my record, and to go up the rankings," Machida, who sits 12th in the UFC's middleweight rankings, recently told MMAjunkie. "I want to do four fights this year. Considering the breaks I plan to take, and how much time I'll have, I think it would be a good number of bouts.

"My goal is to earn my way to another (title shot)."

Machida will be half way to his goal of four fights in 2018 after facing Belfort on Saturday after defeating Eryk Anders in February to end a three-bout losing streak. The win over Anders was Machida's first victory in over three years after defeating C.B. Dolloway in December 2014 and serving an 18-month suspension imposed by the USADA.

Machida has challenged for a UFC title three times in his career, winning the light heavyweight belt in 2009 and losing his next two title shots in 2011 and 2014. He has only once fought four times in one year, going 4-0 in 2007 - his first year in the UFC.