By Katrina Belcher (KatrinaBelcher@mmaratings.net)
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait ’til Saturday, October 24th, 2009, because that’s when Machida and Shogun, and their diverse styles, are going to collide in the Octagon at UFC 104!
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (and don’t you just love the way the announcer says “HU-ahhhhh”?!) is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a record of 18-3-0. He’s also the younger brother of fellow MMA fighter Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Shogun fought in the International Fighting Championship’s (IFC) “Global Domination” tournament, and in Japan for PRIDE, where he defeated Akira Shoji, Akihiro Gono, and Yasuhito Namekawa all by strikes in the first round. As the main event at Pride 29, he delivered when he fought and defeated former professional wrestler Hiromitsu Kanehara via a stomp early in the first round. Shogun is dangerous on the ground, but he can also deliver a heavy handed knee and punch…or two.
Lyoto Machida has a perfect record of 15-0-0. No losses. He’s currently ranked as the #1 light-heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog. The son of a Shotokan karate master, Yoshizo Machida, Machida’s undefeated record includes victories over former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. His specialty seems to be karate. That is Kumite to a karateka. His training enables him to evade a strike and deliver one almost simultaneously, so he’s a danger in the stand up game. This will be an exciting fight to watch – and we’ll see if Machida will continue to thrill karate students with his style by bringing home another victory.
Get a glimpse of UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun via this Video Teaser.
Undefeated Light Heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida, defends his title against Shogun Rua at UFC 104. Also on the card, Cain Velasquez takes on Ben Rothwell.
