Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was robbed of the light heavyweight championship Saturday night when he fought Lyoto Machida at Ultimate Fighting Championship 104.The two warriors entered the octagon and traded methodical strikes in one of the closest fights I have seen in a while.
The fight went five rounds and Machida was given a 48-47 decision over Shogun. It’s sad to see that a great fight was spoiled by the judges’ decision to give Machida the victory.
This controversial victory for Machida makes him 16-0 and the lightweight division even more intriguing. Shogun had a fantastic performance and looked like the old Shogun in Pride.
I think Shogun should have won, and everyone is looking forward to seeing these two trade punches again in the octagon.
UFC 104 started the pay-per-view off with the always-exciting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson taking on Yoshiyuki Yoshida. From the moment this fight started, I knew Yoshida wasn’t going to be able to stand with Johnson–hardly anyone can.
Johnson ended it quickly with a hook to beat Yoshida with 21 seconds left in the first round. I was impressed by Johnson’s performance, and I’m ready for the UFC to give him some tougher competition.
Johnson’s an exciting fighter, and it’s time for him to climb the ladder–whether it is in welterweight or middleweight divisions.
The next fight on the card was Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher. Coming off of an impressive victory over Nate Diaz, Joe Stevenson was looking for another victory to put him back in the mix in the lightweight division.
Stevenson finished Fisher in the second round with some vicious elbows from the top, leaving Herb Dean no decision but to call the fight. Stevenson looked impressive once again, and I believe he will take on the winner of Kenny Florian and Clay Guida when they fight at UFC 107.
With the PPV having two quick fights, UFC aired an earlier prelim fight between Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami. Sonnen looked very impressive as he pulled off the upset victory with a unanimous decision.
The next fight on the card was Gibson Tebeau taking on the scrappy Josh Neer. Before the fight, I thought Neer would come out with something to prove after his unimpressive performance at UFC 101. However, believe me when I say Tebeau is a “hoss.”
Tebeau recorded four huge slams in the first round, and every time he exploded through Neer, my jaw dropped. I was very impressed with Tebeau’s power, but one thing he needs to work on is his cardio if he wants to be a legitimate contender at UFC 155. Tebeau came out as the victor with a unanimous decision over Neer.
The co-main event was up next as Ben Rothwell took on the always-dangerous Cain Velasquez. Velasquez came out and dominated Rothwell. To make this clear about how dominant of a performance this was, Rothwell was never in this fight, and Velasquez won the first round 10-8.
Rothwell outweighed Velasquez by at least 25 pounds, and Velasquez was slamming and keeping him down the whole fight. Velasquez defeated Rothwell by Technical Knock Out at 0:58 in the second round.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Velasquez, and I thought he should have been in the talk of getting a title shot after his impressive victory over Cheick Kongo; however, I’m afraid that he still won’t get his shot at the title because of the newfound depth to a very exciting heavyweight division.
Velasquez will eventually get his shot at the title, and I have a feeling he will make the most of it.
The best part of this PPV was the tremendous performances by Johnson, Stevenson and Velasquez. All three guys have had great performances in a row and add more depth to all their respected divisions.
Another bright spot was the confirmation that old Shogun is indeed back. Shogun put on his second straight impressive performance and looks to be a legitimate contender in the light heavyweight division.
The not-so-bright side of UFC 104 was the judges’ decision to give Machida the victory. It was a tough, close fight, but I thought it was clear that Shogun won.
Overall, this PPV was exciting and had some great performances, so I give this PPV an 8 out of 10 rating. Next up for the UFC is a free UFC 105 as Randy Couture battles Brandon Vera live on Spike.
