One huge factor that Carvalho believe led to the loss was that Machida is simply the more popular fighter.
“I do believe (Lyoto won the decision),” Carvalho said to Combate. “Because of who he is, for his record, because he’s a former champion in another organization. Anyway, I do think those factors might have factored when (the judges were) in doubt. ‘In doubt, let’s pick Lyoto’. But you can’t keep crying over spilled milk, I just need to come back, keep working and wait for the next challenge.”
That bout marked the second straight loss for Carvalho and the Bellator MMA debut for Machida.
Carvalho believes he won the first two rounds of the three round affair, but admits the win for Machida was better for the organization as a whole.
“I still need to watch the fight, but what I can say is that I won the first round and I may have won the second by a small margin. Lyoto took me down, but he wasn’t effective at any point, so I believe I could have won the second. He win the third, no doubt about it, I can’t take that away from him. But I believe it was two rounds to one. I don’t to talk about it now while emotional, but I don’t know what’s the criteria that those judges use. If they think Lyoto won, that’s good, but if they think he won because that’s good for the company,” says Carvalho.
The former middleweight champion has suffered just three losses as a professional MMA fighter and two of them have come to UFC veterans.
