All the three judges scored the bout in favor of Lyoto Machida in his fight against Mauricio Rua. I think the judges gave Machida the benefit of the doubt despite the fact that Shogun Rua was beating him all night long.
Machida’s lip was split, I’m sure he’s got bruised ribs, and for sure his leg are gonna hurt like a bitch tonight. Compared to Shogun who was clearly the aggressor, Machida looked pretty ordinary in their fight.
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One can’t help but feel that the decision Machida received tonight was a house decision intent on preserving his unbeaten record. I feel sorry for Shogun. I think he did more than enough to win. He took away Machida’s legs and bullied him all the way. Machida could only reply in bursts as he was facing a guy who was as fast if not faster than him for the first time.
I agree with Joe Logan, there should be a rematch, if only to erase the bitter taste that the decision tonight left for MMA fans.
Lyodo “The Dragon” Machida takes on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on UFC 104 this Saturday, October 24, 2009. You can watch this fight live on TV or online. Machida legitimized his claim to UFC middleweight supremacy by defeating Rashad Evans last May in UFC 98. Rua is a former Pride FC superstar who just came off back-to-back knockouts over Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman.