UFC 104 video: Aggressive 'Shogun' Rua a good opponent for Lyoto Machida

I agree with everything Machida said, Shogun’s good but his style is perfect for Machida and the ultimate counterpuncher is going to get another impressive win. Honestly the only 2 LHWs on Machida’s level are Andy and Gegard and even them 2 would have a lot of trouble against Lyoto, the Dragon is going to hold onto this belt for a long time mark my words.

by David W-S on Oct 16, 2009 10:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lol at gegard being on his level, how about gegard beats a noteworthy fighter before you say that. Thats like saying anthony johnson is an elite welterweight. He hasnt proven anything to be considered a threat at lhw yet.

by mma guru on Oct 17, 2009 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i have to actually agree with the guru..

gegard hasn’t proved himself just yet.. he’s well on his way, but i don’t want to overhype the guy..

his status remains at a very impressive up and comer who has the most potential out of all the young bucks..

imo- the only peeps i would consider a threat to machida[right now] are shogun and rampage..

~
this should be one of the greatest fights, i hope it delivers..

over the last year ive become a huge machida fan, but the love still goes out to my boy shogun.. not only is shogun my fav fighter, i really give him a great chance at stopping the dragon era short..

im going with shogun, but either way the ufc will have a great lhw champ at the end of the nihght, so no big deal if the gun gets jammed..

the fans should surley come out the winner..

by stinky~fingers on Oct 17, 2009 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

stinky fingers this should be one of the greatest mismatches of all time, you are trully clueless if you think shogun will even land a single blow against machida, it wont go past the second, after that who are you going to claim can beat machida. anderson? give me a break educate yourself before you post anything

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dtoto: Get a clue! Shogun in a legit TOP WORLD CLASS FIGHTERS! World class fighters might lose, but they DONT get DOMINATED. Win or lose, this will be by far, the toughest fight of Machida’s career…its going to be a war, that willl not be determined n the 1st 10 minutes.

Shogun is a HUGE threat to Lyoto’s title. Funny how all of the sudden you think M achida’s invincible, when I am sure that a year agoo you were probably bashing him….so whoo is the clueless one. yoou or stinky?

War Stink dog!

by john G on Oct 17, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

greatest mismatches of ALL TIME? are u fucking serious? OF ALL TIME??? as in mma history? the former number 1 lhw in the world facing the present number 1 lhw in the world and its one of the greatest mismatches of all time?

and you base this on what exactly? those destructive decision wins over sam hoger and david heath?

machida’s only finished 5 of his 15 fights by t(ko)…to call this one of the biggest mismatches of all time is a retarded statement….

you’re the one who needs to educate yourself…you’re just another bandwagon guy who saw machida fight rashad and creamed your pants….

im not sayin shogun will win..but to call it the biggest mismatch in history is just stupid…

next i guess you’ll say he can beat brock lesnar too

by HellaHectic on Oct 17, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hell and john, you to are clueless dodos, i knew machida would be champion when he beat soko, and was a fan before that. Yeah its going to be one of the greatest mismatches of all time, just like i predicted gsp vs bj penn2 would be. complete domination by one fighter, and shogun will not land anything on machida, i think you two will be proven for what you are no nothings, when the fight goes exactly like i said, and its over before the end of the second round you will both look stupid. MACHIDA is on another planet compared to anyone that wants to strike with him, i would say it will be 20 yrs in the future before anyone gets to his level, he has been doing this for the past 28yrs, shogun wont figure him out, nor anyone else after a few months of traing. Hope you two idiots are brave enough to post, after you are both made to look like morons

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hellahectic machida has finished his last 3 opponents, and is getting better, thiago silva, and rashad are far better than the last 2 creampuffs shogun has been served. Even a super slow forrest griffin, was able to outstrike him and choke him out, and evn today i would still take forrest today over shogun. shogun has super slow hands compared to rashad, and machida made rashad look like he was in slow mo, you can twist all the facts around to make a case for shogun, but who is right will be determined next week. Just let me know next week if you didnt think the fight turned out to be a huge mismatch, i think you and john g will be eating humble pie, then who will you claim can beat shogun, maybe rampage, give me a break you two losers. the reason it will be a huge mismatch is that machidas standup is even far greater than anderson silvas, and shogun will have no answers. Just like gsps wrestling was too much for bj, even though bj is world class. their is a huge skill gap to anyone that fights against machida nowadays

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

actually hellhectic, after machida defends his title 5 times, dana will let him challenge the reigning hw at that time, and that will cement machidas#1 pnp ranking in the world after he wins

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It will take some serious luck for Machida to defend his title more than say 5 times. All the pressure and different style matchups will catch up to him sometime, as i see it it’s more Machida’s style than his skills that lets him win, he’s not a great boxer/muay thai fighter like A.Silva is, his style is just extremely effective and you have be technical like Shogun is to come after him. Rampage would be a cool matchup too, he’s taken some of the best kicks and kept coming so that wouldn’t be a problem and his chin/defense/counter skills are the best in the div.

by RoBerto on Oct 17, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

by RedDog on Oct 17, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mr. Guru,
Lest you not forget that in the short but storied history of the UFC, there has been a handfull of greats that you could just tell early on they were gonna be greats. This Mousassi is unquestionably one of these types. The fact that he is the preferred training partner of the “baddest man on the planet” says a little, but if you’ve seen the boy fight, believe me when I tell you, this is one bad dude. Line ’em up!

by The Judge on Oct 17, 2009 4:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol at anderson being on machidas level. Andy has stated before that when they spar machida makes him look silly , and beats him 8 out of 10 times. He has said that he wont fight machida, not just because they are best friends, but because machida represents a big problem, that not even he can solve. He is on a much higher level than even anderson, i really believe traditional muay thai, boxing, etc are useless against machidas karate. I dont see him losing a round , much less a fight for yrs to come, and retiring undefeated after he moves up to HW after defending the title 5 times, and beat brock or whoever is the HW champion at the time, and cementing his legacy as the true #1 PNP fighter on the planet

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed!

by Lestat on Oct 17, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What anderson says happens in practice and what would actually happen in the octagon are 2 different things.

by mma guru on Oct 17, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

guru if you saw the post fight confernce after ufc 100, when machidas name was mentioned, anderson would have none of it, and started shaking his head right away, then said its not because they are just friends, but even he cant solve machida. i think even anderson knows from being destroyed by machida during sparring he wouldnt stand much of a chance. machida has no problem fighting anyone, even anderson, but their is no amount of money that anderson will accept, because he doesnt want to be embarrassed. anderson said its the era of karate right now, and he doesnt see anyone beating machida

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

not really mma guru, i train muay thai, and you can easily gage how good someone is during sparring, and how the fight will go. I dont think youve ever taken any mma training before

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your obviously not very smart if you think machida would embarrass silva because of what silva says happens during practice. Silva wont fight machida because they are friends and neither is afraid to fight the other. It would be an extremely close fight between two of the best ever. No one cares that you train muay thai and think you can gauge how well someone can perform in an actual fight.To say either one of these guys would embarrass the other is ridiculous.

by mma guru on Oct 17, 2009 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No idea why I’m getting bashed for not giving Andy or Lyoto enough credit, they’re my two favourite fighters so I’m not going to judge either of them as being superior, as I think both of them are world-class fighters and will go down as all-time greats along with Fedor and GSP.

I did say even Andy and Gegard would struggle to beat Lyoto, all 3 are superb fighters, Andy has proven himself time and time again and Machida has looked a different class to everyone else. Gegard has the potential to be world class, he is well rounded and trains with the best HW of all time Fedor plus he’s only 24. I never said Andy or Gegard would beat him, they are the only fighters I see being competetive.

Shogun could prove me wrong but he’ll have to perform a lot better than he has so far in the UFC, it’s been a while since he was at his best in Pride and I’m not going to pick him to win based on prior form. He could cause Machida some problems but personally I think he’ll get counterpunched to death like Rashad did. Rampage has the power but not the heart or technique to beat Machida, until his passion comes back he won’t ever beat a quality LHW again.

No other LHWs are worth being talked about in the same sentence as Machida, even Rashad and Thiago got destroyed and Forrest and Jardine would both be murdered, Forrest was ducking Lyoto back when everyone bashed him for being boring, so he wouldn’t dare fight him now.

Like I said in the last Machida thread, the Dragon has the potential to be the first MMA fighter to retire undefeated as a champion after having defended his title, he has the best chance out of everyone to be MMAs Rocky Marciano or PBF.

by David W-S on Oct 17, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Think about the light heavy weight title trends the past 2 years. The belt changes hands every time.

by al on Oct 16, 2009 11:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That’s because the champs have had major holes in their games. Chuck, Rampage, Forrest and even the guy Lyoto destroyed (AKA the Ultimate Coach) to get the belt don’t have as sound of an all around skill set and mind for the art that the Dragon has. You have to remember, as well that this is the UFC Shogun he is going up against. Just b/c he’s won his last 2 fights (one against Coleman where he probably would have lost had it gone to a decision and he KO’d Chuck) doesn’t mean he’s the Shogun he was in Pride.

Gegard has the potential to be a solid contender, because he has talent, a solid skill set and youth, but he hasn’t been tested yet.

One more thing. How did Shogun and Hollywood never fight in Pride?

by figtin on Oct 17, 2009 3:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ya take chuck out of that group he held the belt for like 2 years.

by mma guru on Oct 17, 2009 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

?. Has a fighter like Machida held the title in the last two years? No. The title has been held by guys who throw puches and TAKE punches. Eventually, guys like that are going to drop a decision or get knocked out. Machida doen’t get hit very often and lands a very high percentage of his shots. Thaat combination makes it very difficult to bet against the guy.

by Jeff on Oct 17, 2009 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow watching the highlights on this video you realize just how insanely good MAchida is. Rashad who is an above level striker doesn’t even look like he belongs in the ring with Machida. He looks lost/out of place in the standup vs. Machida. Anyway I try to look at this fight, I don’t see how Rua can win this fight. Those big looping over hand punches are tailor made for Machida to exploit all night long.

by Da Monkey on Oct 17, 2009 8:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh Please, Tito Ortiz nearly submitted him. And if Shogun gets ahold of the cheetah he is dead or sumitted.

You watch too many spotlight Machida TV shows that UFC displays on TV. He will be fighting a healthy Shogun & with odds given there is no money to be made on Machida.

Go look at Shogun’s MMA record. Then tell me Machida is going to BEAT Shogun.

by al on Oct 17, 2009 9:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

al, after next week you will realize how clueless you are. machida is not the same fighter that fought tito, and even then i dont think a single blow landed against machida, yeah he got careless, and tito little lucky, but thats as close as machida will come to losing. Machida has fully incorporated his karate to mma now, and feels comfortable, and his style has gotten much more aggressive, he is 10x the fighter he was back then, and keeps inproving each fight. Soon people will be clinging to any little thing his opponent lands as proof he could have been beat. The truth is he has neve lost even a single round, in the ufc, and i dont think he will. When anderson silva says that machida basically toys with him in the standup , that is a scarry thought, is it any wonder anderson will have nothing to do against machida. In the press confwerenceright after he beat forrest, he started shaking his head as soon as he heard machidas name, and said he wont fight him not just because they are best friends, but because machida represents a very big problem, and he has no confidence he could beat him

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Anderson and his manager like to manipulate. Need surgery, don’t need surgery. They think Henderson and Marquardt should fight for the contender position. Anderson goofing around in the Cote fight. Just because he said Machida toys with him in practice, doesn’t mean that is so. I have trouble believing Anderson is afraid of anybody.

Any of us who have seen Machida fight are very impressed but not as much as you are. I think it will be a better fight than you think.

by sudnvictory on Oct 18, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am aware of who Shogun is, was a huge fan, and was convinced he was going to walk through the UFC LHW’s. Then I saw him get sub’d by Forrest (yeah yeah his leg was hurt), then after his surgery he went toe to toe with an over the hill Coleman who hadn’t fought in over three years(so his tune up fight was an even bigger tune up fight for an over the hill Coleman) a pulled a win out of his ass, and then he beat a Chuck Liddel who has lost 5 of his 6 since Rampage Ko’d him. Those are the records of old. Wow Tito almost submitted him, after not engaging at all-I don’t recall Tito doing anything else the rest of the fight do you? Every great fighter has been caught in a submission, Hendo, Couture, Shogun 2 times, even Anderson Silva and GSP. Does that make them less great? Because your Rua has been caught 2 times by fighter far below his level of fighting. By looking at records are you some how implying that that is relevant? Wandy has a similar record to Shogun, fought many of the same guys; so by your train of thought he would beat Machida as well? Those Pride records don’t mean shit anymore. Those Pride Records have done Cro Cop a world of good!

by Da Monkey on Oct 17, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah al im sure there would be money to be made if gsp fought bj again also, and im sure even if gsp was -900 you would think thats a good reason to bet on bj, a fool that would be you and his money are soon parted. bet your life savings on shogun, im sure you will be rich next week. lol

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

look at machidas record , penn franklin bonnar evans silva ortiz right there that’s 1/3 of his wins and they are all good fighters that got owned!! Shogun is going to get destroyed , i hope he shows up and makes it a fight but i see him getting picked apart

by TheDragon on Oct 17, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry but as great as BJ is, you putting him on the list of 205ers is kinda of ridiculous…..yeah we all know they fought but cmon….how much of a weight mismatch was that? And as I recall, it went to a decision. Not too impressed with BJ losing to Machida and Bonnar is really a journeymen.

by sudnvictory on Oct 17, 2009 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is Shogun a sleeper?

Meaning is he going to come out like the old days of Pride. Big Nog put on a great performance like the old days in his last fight.

I still have money on Machida regardless. His timing and style are just too odd. Machida will catch Shogun at some point.

by DubNub on Oct 17, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s not odd Dub. It’s perfect timing, right before the victim goes for a strike. It takes lots of years of practice . You say it like he’s doing it random.

by Lestat on Oct 17, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah machida hand speed , reflexes, timing, and footwork, are on a much higher level than anyone has ever seen. I dodnt care if you put roy jones jr in his prime against him doing pure standup with no kicks, it would be like trying to outstrike a cobra, its like fighting bruce lee, and i dont care how fast a wba champion boxers hands are, bruce lee would make it seem in slow motion same as machida would.. you cant reach machida because of his karate stance, meanwhile he darts in and out, the LHW title is machidas at least for the next 5 yrs, or he gets bored and retires after beating the HW champion.

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ummm…Machida has incredible timing, but if you put him against RJJ in a boxing match(which is what standup without kicks is), I’m betting everything I own on RJJ. You’re love of Machida just took it too far on that one.

by Diceman on Oct 17, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i didnt say a boxing match, a striking match, machida uses his karate stance, how is rjj going to hit him. MAYBE you think rjj has better reflexes, timing, footwork, than machida, it would be closer since machida cant use his sweeps, but i still think rjj would be swinging at air. boxing and muay thai are useless against machidas high level karate striking

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven’t seen agressive Shogun since PRIDE days.

by LLC on Oct 17, 2009 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Keep thinking that Drag, and you will get caught like Liddell did with an elusive left hand to the jaw…

WAR MF SHOGUN BABY!!!

I bet this MF will get taken down by the SHOGUN when he attempts to try and through all his punches as he did to evans….

SHOGUN will prosper in this fight as the LHWC for UFC and will be ranked again #1…

by N1SHOGUNFAN on Oct 17, 2009 2:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

then you woke up from your dream. shogun will get embarrassed, just like andy did to forrest, and machida is on a much higher level than anderson, meanwhile griffin could easily beat shogun again

by dtoto on Oct 17, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

rooting for a shogun win … but cant really see it happening

by DJ on Oct 17, 2009 2:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I really cant see past machida in this 1 nobody yet has shown much to suggest they can solve the machida puzzle (including ortiz) i see rua being stronger and more aggresive like thiago silva and getting same sort of result as he did.

by theboydave on Oct 18, 2009 7:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs