After the kicks stopped and the dust settled, Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida escaped the Staples Center with his perfect record intact and the light heavyweight title after five rounds with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua on Saturday.
The match will surely be a subject of debate for many fans, especially the final decision.
Although he entered the fight as the least-hit fighter in UFC history, Machida received a beating at the hands of Rua, who constantly connected with kicks.’
Rua changed his usual berserker style approach, picking his shots and patiently waiting for opportunities to strike. Halfway through the fight, red marks on Machida’s ribs were beginning to show.
Machida often switched stances to protect his body and was unable to make the precise counters he is known for. Instead, he went for the clinch a few times, and was not nearly as successful compared to his opponent.
After the final round, the fight went to the judges, who scored it unanimously, 48-47, in favor of Machida.’
The decision seems controversial, considering the visual damage to Machida’s body and his overall uncomfortable stances during the later rounds.’
Fans reacted accordingly with boos after Machida was announced as the winner.
Rua may have lost the fight and a chance at the title, but he won the respect of the fans. After the bout, Machida said he would be up for a rematch, so look for these two superstars to meet again.
Remaining undefeated
Undefeated heavyweight Cain Velasquez continued his winning trend, claiming a decisive victory over the bigger and more experienced Ben Rothwell.
Velasquez was relentless in his attack, dropping Rothwell twice with nice leg sweeps. Once on the ground, he rained punches on Rothwell’s face.
‘ After suffering a sizable gash in the first round, Rothwell went down as Velasquez shoved him into the cage and unloaded his rage on Rothwell’s face for the TKO victory.
The fight surprisingly didn’t end in the first, as Rothwell did little to protect himself. After the fight, he appeared shocked that the referee called the fight. In reality, he should have been wondering why the referee didn’t end it sooner.
Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader, another undefeated fighter, earned a unanimous decision over Eric Schafer on the preliminary card Saturday.
Bader dominated in the first, and after a relatively even second round, both fighters were looking sluggish and reckless in the third.’
Bader began swinging for the fences and eventually stuck an elbow on Schafer to seal the deal.
Take it to the mat
Gleison Tibau is known for his submissions, but Josh Neer will remember him for his takedowns.’
Neer was helpless against Tibau, who repeatedly found ways to get him back onto the mat. Tibau connected with more than 10 takedowns on Neer en route to a unanimous victory.
Joe Stevenson also found himself on the mat in his match against Spencer Fisher. After what seemed like an eternity of a clinch in the first round, Stevenson got the upper hand in the second round.
Fisher had already been cut open during the first, but after Stevenson trapped his arms while on the mat and continuously elbowed his face, Fisher submitted. Both were good sports about the fight, shaking hands afterward.
Dropped like a bad habit
The most lopsided victory of the night went to Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. After his opponent Yoshiyuki Yoshida made no effort to defend himself, Johnson promptly connected with a stiff right hand at the 40-second mark to earn the TKO victory.
