Machida vs Rua At UFC 104

by Robert Sargent

With Quinton "Rampage" Jackson busy coaching on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida will instead look to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the first time when he faces Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 104.

Rua, who is coming off of a first-round victory over former champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, will aim to become the first person to figure out Machida as he looks to hand him his first loss.

Having dispatched of "Sugar" Rashad Evans in brutal fashion at UFC 98 to claim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, the undefeated Machida looks to be unstoppable as he ushers in "The Machida Era," but Rua has finally begun to show glimpses of his former ultra-aggressive and dominant past from his days in Pride Fighting Championships. If Rua is able to keep Machida guessing, he could prove to be the first person to figure out a way to defeat the nearly undamageable champion.

Machida (15-0-0) has brought about a resurgence in the discipline of karate, as he is one of extremely few karate practitioners who has enjoyed success in mixed martial arts. Undefeated, with few fighters appearing to pose any threat to him at all, Machida could very well take after the likes of heavyweight sensation Fedor Emelianenko as one of the most dominant fighters in mixed martial arts history.

Rua (18-3-0), however, has his eyes firmly set on UFC gold, and he will look to duplicate his run through the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix, in which he emerged victorious. Having gotten his career back on-track, and coming off of a punishing victory over Liddell, Rua appears to be ready for a shot at the title.

The keys to this fight lie almost exclusively in Rua's corner, as his game plan and approach to the fight will almost certainly dictate whether he can dethrone Machida or not. Rua will need to maintain his aggressive style and use highly varied and unorthodoxed strikes in order to prevent Machida from settling into a rhythm.

Machida will look to do what he always does, which is to make his opponents appear woefully out of their league by using his defensive counter style to avoid damage while landing effective strikes in return. Whether he can do this against an in-shape Rua, however, is not at all certain. Rua could very well be the answer to the riddle that is Machida.

The highly-anticipated fight will take place at UFC 104 on October 24th, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.