The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to California for the first time in over two years tonight at UFC 104: “Machida vs Shogun,” which is headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between seemingly unbeatable champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and former PRIDE ace Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

The card also features an important heavyweight clash between rising star Cain Velasquez and veteran “Big” Ben Rothwell. MMARising.com has live results from the event as the action takes place.

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Round 1:
Rua opened up with a left hook, but was met with four knees for his efforts. A body kick and a leg kick landed for Rua and he clinched against the cage. Rua kneed the leg of Machida, but Machida backed away. Quick kicks landed for both fighters and Rua tried for another takedown. He nearly got it, but Machida stayed on his feet and the fighters clinched again.

Machida backed away and evaded a body kick from Rua. A hard kick landed for Rua and Machida cracked him with a counter right. Rua landed a vicious leg kick and Machida fired back with a counterpunch and a kick. Rua scored with an overhand right that forced Machida to backpedal momentarily. Another leg kick landed for Rua. Machida loses his first round ever. 10-9 Rua.

Round 2:
A stiff left jab landed for Rua early in the second round and he continued to push the pace. Machida landed quick punches that sent Rua back, but Rua recovered and pressed forward. Machida nearly tripped Rua to the mat with a counter kick-punch combination, but Rua clinched and tried for a takedown. Machida defended and the fighters separated.

Machida once again nearly tripped Rua with a leg kick, but Rua fired off two kicks of his own. A hard kick to the liver scored for Machida and Rua landed a body kick in return. Rua jumped into a body kick that drilled Machida in the ribs. Rua landed a leg kick and a front kick and the fighters traded knees in close. In a clinch against the cage, Rua landed knees to the legs and body. 10-9 Rua.

Round 3:
Rua opened round three with another hard kick to the body. Machida countered with a right cross and a body kick, but Rua answered right back with more strikes. Machida switched stances to avoid the kicks from Rua and both fighters landed at the same time. Rua threw a leg kick and Machida countered with a right cross.

Rua clinched against the cage and landed knees, but the fighters quickly separated. Another hard leg kick landed for Rua. And another. He connected with a brutal kick to the body, but Machida fired back with a left cross. Both fighters landed kicks and Rua rushed in with another vicious leg kick, but Machida landed a punch and two knees. The fighters began to swing wildly with punches and Machida held an edge, but he was caught with a big counterpunch from Rua. Extremely close round. 10-9 Machida.

Round 4:
The fighters circled each other early on in the fourth round and both threw quick leg kicks. Machida landed a body kick and Rua scored with two leg kicks. Rua landed a body kick and Machida answered with a head kick. Machida slipped and Rua rushed in. He grabbed onto Machida’s leg, but Machida defended and Rua backed off.

Rua landed a leg kick and Machida countered with a one-two. A pair of knees scored for Rua and he followed with a leg kick soon after. Rua clinched and landed an elbow over the top. He put together a knee-kick-punch combination and landed another leg kick. Machida switched stances again as Rua’s kicks took their toll. 10-9 Rua.

Round 5:
Rua scored with a leg kick to begin the final round and Machida looked to clinch. Another leg kick and a body kick landed for Rua, but Machida countered with a right hook. Rua threw another hard leg kick and partially landed a body kick. Machida threw a kick to the ribs and Rua targeted the leg. He rushed in with punches that backed Machida up. Machida landed a nice knee, but Rua pushed through it and threw a kick.

Machida clinched against the cage, but little transpired and the fighters were separated. Rua landed a hard body kick and Machida began to bleed from a small cut on his lip. Rua scored with an elbow and an overhand right. Rua just missed with a lunging left hook and the fighters traded kicks. Rua threw a three-punch combination, but only one punch landed. A one-two landed for Rua before the final bell. 10-9 Rua.

All three judges somehow scored the fight for Machida, who takes an incredibly controversial Unanimous Decision in a fight that he appeared to have clearly lost. Very unfortunate scoring and the crowd booed heavily afterwards.

Winner: Lyoto Machida by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 16-0-0 and remains the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Cain Velasquez vs “Big” Ben Rothwell

Round 1:
Rothwell connected with punches right away, but Velasquez scored a trip takedown. Rothwell moved to the cage and tried to work back to his feet, but Velasquez slammed him down again. Rothwell stood up and both fighters landed big shots. Velasquez took Rothwell down and landed in side-control. He moved to North-South position, but Rothwell got up again.

Velasquez scored another takedown and landed some big elbows from side-control. Rothwell survived, but ate more punches from Velasquez, who looked to move to mount. He did so briefly, but Rothwell kicked him off. Velasquez drilled Rothwell with huge punches from a standing position, then slammed Rothwell down to the ground again. He punished Rothwell with even more punches, but Rothwell somehow made it to the bell. 10-8 Velasquez.

Round 2:
Velasquez took Rothwell down early in the second round and landed more hard punches. Rothwell, with his eye swollen, worked back to his feet against the cage. Velasquez landed some hard punches and referee Steve Mazzagatti jumped in for a horrendous stoppage as Rothwell stood up. Rothwell was clearly losing the fight, but Mazzagatti’s stoppage was terrible.

Winner: Cain Velasquez by TKO (Punches) at 0:58 of round two. He improves to 7-0-0.