Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is 43 and on a three-fight skid. However, Scott Coker isn’t keen to push him out the door.

Coker, the Bellator president, has had Machida (26-11 MMA, 2-3 BMMA) competing under his banner since December 2018. There have been ups and down for “The Dragon” during this twilight stage of an MMA career that dates back to May 2003, but the Brazilian is still proving competitive.

Despite the fact Machida has lost his past three, he didn’t get blown out in any of the bouts. He lost a unanimous decision to Ryan Bader in April, then before that dropped narrow split decision results to Phil Davis and Gegard Mousasi.

Although Machida’s level of activity has slowed in recent years, Coker said the karate specialist is still a key member of the roster. He intends to use Machida more frequently in 2022.

“He wants to fight and we’re going to get him busy again,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “He’s another fighter that will probably fight in March, April. We want to get all our big stars fighting between now and April. He’s had some losses, but he’s went though a gauntlet of just killers. It didn’t work out for him, but we feel he’s still got some gas left in the tank.”

Coker didn’t delve into what type of matchup he’s looking to place Machida in next. He wants to see Machida back in the cage in the next few months, though, and that performance will be a good gauge on where he stands.

With his 44th birthday happening in May, it seems likely that Machida only has a finite number of fights left in his career. Coker said he’ll allow Machida to make that decision on his own.

“He’s done so much for the sport. To me, he’s a legend, and we’re going to let him finish it on his terms.”