RIO DE JANEIRO – First it was Randy Couture, and on Saturday, it was Vitor Belfort. And when it comes to sending veterans into retirement via a hellacious front kick, Lyoto Machida is hoping Michael Bisping will join the tour.

In Saturday’s UFC 224 pay-per-view main-card opener at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Machida (24-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) sent Belfort (26-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) into retirement with a violent second-round front kick to the face.

It surely wasn’t the way Belfort imagined he’d transition into retirement; fellow ex-UFC champ Couture likely didn’t expect it either when Machida did the same to him in 2011.

With double deja-vu and respect all around, Vitor Belfort's swan song at UFC 224 was oddly poetic

So with yet another former titleholder – Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC) – expecting to retire following his next bout, Machida again pushed for the fight, just as he did earlier this year (Bisping has seemed receptive).

With a penchant for kick-induced retirements, is Machida ready to send Bisping into the sunset?

“I always use my legs to retire people,” Machida joked with MMAjunkie after UFC 224. “So, I would like this fight because Michael Bisping is a former champion, and this is a fight that could happen in the future. This fight couldn’t happen back in the day, so I think this is (now) a great matchup for both of us.

“And the fans want to see this fight. It would be a great fight if he accepts this fight.”

Twitter reacts to Lyoto Machida's epic front-kick KO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 224

Although Bisping has said he’d prefer to go up to light heavyweight for his career finale, Machida, a fellow ex-titleholder, prefers to remain at middleweight – though he said he’d agree to a catchweight if it gets Bisping to sign a bout agreement.

Bisping has no shortage of suitors for his planned swan song, but Machida is certainly one of the more notable names. Bisping has also shot down a few potential opponents because he said he doesn’t want bad blood with a heated rival to make his final fight camp an emotional and unpleasant experience. He could do a lot worse than the ever-classy Machida, who said he wasn’t necessarily planning to use the front kick against Belfort on Saturday, and instead, an opening simply presented itself.

Still, after the kick landed flush and Belfort crashed to the mat, Machida simply stood with his hands on his hips, assured “The Phenom” was done, and then gave a respectful bow to the longtime MMA vet (via Twitter):

For Machida, a lifelong karate enthusiast and proud martial artist, it was no reason to gloat.

“In that moment, I was thinking I have to respect my opponent because the martial arts teach everyone this – to respect and at the same time bow to your opponent when you do something,” he said. “Even if you win or you lose, you’ve got to respect your opponent.

“So, that moment when I put my hands on my waist, it was because I was expecting a reaction from Vitor Belfort, but as soon as I realized that he couldn’t do anything, I just sat down on my knees and bowed to him to respect everything he did for the sport, for the people, and for the profession.”

For more on UFC 224, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Lyoto Machida def. Vitor Belfort at UFC 224: Best photos

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