Former UFC champion Lyoto Machida will embark on a new chapter in his career this weekend.
Machida (24-8) will make his Bellator MMA debut against Rafael Carvalho at Bellator 213 on Saturday in Honolulu. It will mark his first non-UFC appearance since 2006, which he says is reason alone for excitement.
"When I was in the UFC, I always thought I would finish my career there," Machida told ESPN. "But things started changing and I got this opportunity to fight in Bellator. I have an opportunity to get another belt here, which would be an honor."
The last several years have been up-and-down for Machida, who will turn 41 next year. He endured a 1-4 skid from 2014 to 2017, and was forced to sit out 18 months for unknowingly taking a banned substance. He's admitted that without that break, however, the losses might have forced him to retire.
As he heads into a new promotion, Machida says the competitor in him wishes he would have accomplished more in the UFC (despite winning a title there in 2009), but he feels comfortable moving forward.
"As a competitor, you always want to do more," Machida said. "But I have no regrets. I've done everything I should have and the maturity has meant a lot. When you're a young guy, you don't have the maturity. You just have to go and do whatever you have to.
"In Bellator, I can fight at middleweight and light heavyweight. I believe that's new in this sport and that's one of the things I'm looking forward to doing here."
As crazy as it sounds, Machida might be able to say he holds wins over Bellator's middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champions by February. He beat 185-pound champ Gegard Mousasi in 2014, and Ryan Bader -- the light heavyweight titleholder who faces Fedor Emelianenko for the heavyweight belt in January -- in 2012.
With seemingly plenty still left in the tank, Machida is confident there is plenty for him to achieve in his new home. The people standing in front of him, he's already vanquished.
"I want to become a champion again and I believe these are good challenges," Machida said. "Ryan Bader, I have a lot of respect for -- but we fought back in the day and I won. Gegard Mousasi, we fought back in the day as well. They have a lot of fighters I can face here."