Exclusive: Eryk Anders Thinks Age Will Play A Factor In Main Event Against Lyoto Machida

Just a half-year into his UFC career, Eryk Anders will headline the upcoming UFC Belem show against a legendary name. 

Anders upcoming opponent in Lyoto Machida hails from Brazil, which is where Anders and his wife recently went to for a vacation.

“Man it was beautiful, it was summertime down there. So I got a chance to get out of the cold and experience a new culture and I absorbed it a little bit. Got some good training down there as well, it was a great trip. I trained down there with Gracie Baja,, with a guy named Pin Polio, who is pretty well known throughout the Gracie Baja community. Also with that Goiti Yamauchi,” says Anders.

While Anders did take a vacation and train in Brazil, a lot of support was shown to him by those from Machida’s home country.

One thing that Anders believes plays to his advantage is that Machida is starting to show his age inside of the Octagon.

“I know, you mean he’s 40. I think he is still dangerous, but at the same time, he’s not 25 and there’s a big difference once you get to that age. I don’t think its any big secret that he’s lost a step or two, but at the same time, he’s still got that spring and that bounce. Definitely still very dangerous, but I think my pressure and moving forward and getting him backed against the cage, that is the key ingredients to beating Lyoto Machida,” says Anders.

UFC Fight Night Belem takes place on Saturday, February 3 from the Manguerinho Arena in Belem, Brazil with Lyoto Machida and Eryk Anders headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox Sports 1.

In the full exclusive interview with James Lynch of Fightful, Eryk Anders (10-0) discusses his upcoming fight against Lyoto Machida (22-8) at UFC Fight Night 125 on Feb. 3. Eryk also talks about his trip to Brazil, training with Stephen Wonderboy Thompson, competing outside the U.S. for the first time in his career and where a win over Machida puts him.