Maricio "Shogun" Rua executed a beautiful game plan in his outing against the unbeaten Champion Lyoto Machida in their last meeting, but alas the judges again were not watching the same fight that the fans in attendance and at home were.
Fast forward to May 2010 and "Shogun" gets the elusive immediate rematch that so many fighters wish to attain after a closely contested bout, but seldom see. The fight was so close and the nod so deserved to go to Rua that Dana White and company had no choice but to give him another crack at the Karate kid Lyoto Machida. For if they did not, it would have greatly undermined the legitimacy of the strap around Lyoto's waist.
The fight between the former Pride Fighting ace and the reigning Champion quelled much of the talk of Lyoto being an unbeatable fighter and showed that a fighter with heart like Shogun with a properly executed game plan could dethrone "The Dragon". Machida insists that he did not take the challenge lightly and was ready for Rua in their first meeting. If that was the case it is even more impressive that Rua was able to solve the riddle of Machida's defensive Karate style that brought Rashad Evan's short lived title run to a screeching halt. This time around however the Champion knows more about what to expect from Rua and may have been able to adjust his training accordingly. If that is the case, the Shogun fight will be considered a minor mishap in a seemingly flawless career.
Machida, who was fiercely criticized for his inability to finish opponents in the beginning of his UFC career adjusted his style a bit and KO'd two strait in fights with Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. With his newfound aggressiveness fans were singing his praises and hailing him the unbeatable Champion. Will Shogun again prove that The Dragon is beatable and take what should have rightfully been his the last time out? In my opinion he comes in even more hungry than last time and takes the 205 belt, at least until Quinton Jackson gets his crack at it.
The full fight card for UFC 113 in Montreal May 8th is below:
MAIN CARD
Champ Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (for light heavyweight title)
Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck
Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout
Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Matt Mitrione
Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote
PRELIMINARY CARD
Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor
Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet
T.J. Grant vs. Johny Hendricks
Joey Beltran vs. Tim Hague
Mike Guymon vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Jason MacDonald vs. John Salter
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