Lyoto Machida Retains His UFC Title
The Dragon Hung on to Defend His Light-Heavyweight Belt
Oct 25, 2009
Lyoto Machida had never lost a round in the UFC until UFC 104. It was sure to be his toughest test to date, but no one expected what they saw once Machida stepped into the ring with Shogun Rua. Rua had an excellent strategy against Machida. He punished his body and his legs with devastating leg kicks. As the fight went on, it was obvious that Machida was worn out and the effects of Rua's kicks were really hurting him. It wasn't the most exciting fight of the night. It was a strategic battle that left both fighters trying to find an opportune time to strike.
Mauricio Shogun Rua's Kicks
The story of the night was Rua's ability to land his devastating kicks to the body and the legs of Lyoto Machida. Everytime Machida would pursue from an offensive standpoint, Rua would counter with a very powerful leg kick that forced Machida to disable his attack. Rua was able to land more shots on Machida than anyone else ever has. He was also the first fighter to ever defeat Machida in a single round. Rua and his coaches had developed a nearly perfect gameplan against Machida and it seemed to work quite well.
Machida vs. Rua Unanimous Decision
When the fight was over, nearly every person that had watched it knew that Machida had lost his title. Machida may have been able to score a win in one or two rounds, but there was no way that he won three of the five rounds. As the final bell sounded, Rua threw his hands into the air to celebrate what he knew was his victory. Machida also tossed his hands into the air, but his body language told the crowd that he wasn't so sure. As Bruce Buffer began to read the decision, it seemed that even Machida was preparing himself for the bad news. To his surprise it never came. The result was a unanimous decision in Machida's favor.
Machida Defeats Rua at UFC 104
The announcement was met with booes and shock. Machida had won by winning on all three judges score cards by a score of 48 to 47. There are not many people that watched the fight that saw it this way. In fact, many people thought that Machida only won one of the five rounds. Nevertheless, the judges saw it different. They are paid to judge the fights and they are professionals at what they do. Sometimes there are things that the viewing public do not see that could cause a fighter to score points or be docked points. The fact that all three judges scored the fight for Machida says something. It wasn't a fluke. All three judges saw the same fight and scored it the exact same way, resulting in a Lyoto Machida unanimous decision to defend his light-heavyweight title.
