UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun Announced for October 24 in Los Angeles
The UFC on Monday officially announced “UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun,” the promotion’s long-rumored event which is set to take place on October 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will defend his title against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the pay-per-view headliner, while a heavyweight matchup between Cain Velasquez and Ben Rothwell was also confirmed for the card.
Tickets for UFC 104 will go on sale to the public on Saturday, August 29 at 10 am PT through Ticketmaster and will be priced from $50 to $600. UFC Fight Club members can purchase tickets beginning at 10am on Thursday, August 27, while UFC newsletter subscribers have access to tickets using the presale password “DRAGON” beginning on Friday, August 28 at 10am.
For the latest UFC 104 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.
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Booo…
Because he beat Mark Coleman and Chuck? Give me a break.
That Mark Coleman fight was awful to boot.
I will SPLAIN this once,,,
Quinton (#2LHW) turned down a fight against Machida and opted for a stint on TUF opposite Rashad (#3LHW) so they could fight in Memphis later this year….
Forrest (#4LHW) just fought and lost to Anderson Silva (#1 MW) @ UFC 101
soooo to get Machida a fight for October the #5/#6 (whomever’s rankings you choose to go by) LHW in the world steps up and accepts the fight versus the #1 LHW in the world because everyone else has either turned down the fight or was already booked, o and Lyoto just destroyed Rashad soo there that is, thx
You can “splain” this a hundred times, fr702, but unfortunately it doesn’t make it suck any less, or the masses like it any more.
It is very cool of you to explain though, for what seems by my reckoning about the tenth time.
I wonder how happy Forrest Griffin is NOW that he took that stupid-a$$ Anderson Silva fight. It’ll give him something to think about while he sits at home and watches a man he choked out get a shot at the title he once wore…
Everyone has an excuse and I don’t care. Anderson Silva. Yes I will go there AGAIN and AGAIN. I know that excuse also and I don’t care.
and what does that mean, who is making excuses?
Huh?
whiskey tango foxtrot?
Is this Jeopardy and we’re supposed to go in reverse Dig?
doesn’t matter shougun is going to sleep with the dragon.
Nightmare… that may have been the worst possible way to say that…
woops! haha thats sounds so funny when i re-read that. lyoto is going to KO shogun!
This is Jeopardy? I have an answer then.
What is non-sequitur?
shogun has a bigger win list than machida, and against tougher opponents.
while babalu beat him
his losses to coleman and forrest were not beatings
machida has the belt that all folks
the era might be almost over
i agree man, really uncool
might not be deserving at this time… but its not like he wouldn’t have got it soon enough anyways.
shogun is gonna be a name remembered for a some time, he was in awful shape for the coleman fight and i was at the chuck fight and he looked great
people seem to forget a few of the amazing figters he has beaten before, hes still young and got years ahead of him im defiantly looking forward to this fight
id love shogun to win, i just really dont know though, we shall see if it is the machida era
FR702 has got a solid point guys. I am one of the first to talk about who’s deserving and who’s not but in this case, it was moreso about who stepped up and the other guys being booked.
Shogun is just as deserving as rampage was when he came to the ufc, JUST beat eastman, then got a shot. No one said anything about that because they THOUGHT lidell was going to avenge his loss. Cote,leites, brock,carwin and even couture, all these guys “undeserving” of a shot @ the time, so we should stop talking about how shogun isn’t deserving and start talking about what a great matchup this could be.
Everyone dissing shogun, either forgot, or never knew that shogun has whooped on elite competition before the ufc and that he was once considered the #1 lhw in the world. After he ended lidells career, it was clear to me that shogun is back and entering a different part of his career. He’s in the best shape ever and has grown from his mistakes and losses. He’s become a better fighter and is one like gsp, penn who’s hella naturally talented. If anything, he’s one of the fighters that can give machida trouble. But we shall see.
I don’t think he’s belt material without his Japanese strength coaches…
Are you suggesting that people in PRide use to use ‘roids? Inconceivable!
I don’t think that word means what you think it means…
I think shogun was a logical choice for a title shot. Like fr702 explained above, if not him, then who else. Should be a good fight!
I also believe this card needs another name fighter on it or the ppv buys won’t be that big. Cain/Rothwell isn’t a great #2 main event especially when it hasn’t been shown if machida can bring in the ppv buys. At the moment this would be the worst card in the span of 100 to the rumoured card of 107. Things can change and i’m sure they will.
I want Shogun to win. Everyone thinks it’s gonna be “The Machida Era” but I think otherwise.
Most people I’ve talked to think Machida will walk through Rua like he did T.Silva. I’m thinking it will at least be a competitive fight.
I have not been impressed with Shogun since his days in PRIDE. If his conditioning is good; however, I think Shogun, out of all LHWs has the best chance right now to beat Machida. I say this simply because of his combination of well-rounded fighting style and talent.
I am not saying he is going to beat Machida, but I think he has the best shot at LHW.
hmmm.. so Rua’s conditioning is the key to winning over Machida? Yet as you said a well-oiled Rua in his PRIDE days wasn’t enough to impress you? So were does that put Machida if he loses to a well-conditioned RUA?
Oh well, I’m betting on …WAR SHOGUN!!
The good news here for Rua is that when Machida ends the fight at about the 4 minute mark, it won’t be too much of a black mark on his record, as no one else has had any success against the Dragon either…
Agree 110%, and would like to add if Shogun really paces himself and picks his shots and works on his speed and timing he might be able to make it to round 2.
I agree that if shogun paces himself, fights his fight and doesn’t play too much into the counterstriker machida, that he can get passed the first round and second and third, and who knows, shogun is a world class fighter who very well rounded. The guy who gives lyoto machida trouble will be the guy who fights his fight, fights smart, stays patient and confident and that guy very well could be shogun. It’s honestly shocking to me the lack of respect shogun is getting only because he’s fighting “the dragon”. If rampage fought machida, would everyone be saying the same thing about him just because he’s fighting machida? Uh oh, i here the bandwagon coming i’d better get out of the way…:)
There’s an art form to booking these events. Sometimes you have to put someone in front of the champ who might not be the perfect fit, but who fits only because of timing. I’m not a big fan of saying who is “deserving” a title shot. In reality, the #1 contender is the only one “deserving” and that doesn’t always work out. In my opinion, who ever is the next highest-ranked fighter available is deserving. The champs gotta fight somebody!!
For what it’s worth, I usually keep my opinions on the match-making to myself…the UFC is batting pretty close to 100% if you ask me. People didn’t think Brock “deserved” a shot…they were wrong! He only wooped-up on the champ, and THEN the Interim Champ!
Im a huge fan of Shogun since his early pride days and he was a great fighter no doubt. But as much as I support him i think he’s gonna get pwned badly by Machida. I hope not and i’d be the happiest guy alive if he became LHW champ but i seriously doubt he has the technique or endurance for Machida.
Mauricio Rua is knows that he is the heavy underdog coming into this fight so i’m sure he knows the pressure is not on him but Machida since everyone (for some crazy reason) holds him so high.
Although Shogun is coming off the destruction of an old-past his prime Chuck Liddell, you can’t take that win away from him because he came in in shape and took some big punches from Liddell. He is still as or even more talented now than his days in PRIDE, he has matured greatly and has improved his overall outlook on the game. He will come in hungry and determined and more important, he’s confident and unlike Evans, Shogun is a legit threat to Machida because Shogun is just as or even more well rounded than Machida himself. Shogun’s stand-up is very dangerous just as Machida’s.
Now i’m realistic and realize that Machida is super skilled and super fast, but i feel that he has exposed his game a little in his last two fights. He doesn’t throw leg kicks to inflict damage rather throws them to set up straight punches and takedowns. He has shown that he does not like fighting in the clinch when he is on the defensive, once Evans got close to him and threw a some punches Machida quickly backed away, that’s when Shogun will take advantage and move in and possibly lock in his clinch which is top notch.
Machida has shown that when he is the agressor he is most effective, he is a decent counter striker, but when he’s getting pushed he mostly just goes to defensive mode and prefers to get away from danger than counter attack. I feel that he can overwhelm Shogun if he pushes the fight, Shogun is a smart fighter and will not allow himself to get bullied so if Machida does get agressive, Shogun will most likely look to counter in a big way. Since Shogun has better leg kicks i feel that he will use that to try and set up some combos on Machida and possibly even try to take the fight to the ground, we have yet to see if Machida can hold his own off his back and if he can take some solid punches that Shogun will deliver, Shogun is young and in his prime and better than he was before. I;m positive that he will “upset” Machida and win the title.
people hold machida so high becuase he is undfeated and his last two fights he’s won by KO with 2 undefeated guys and he’s champ.
Amen, brotha!
Nightmare,
Evans and Thiago Silva are NOT nor have EVER been elite fighters. Evans was scared and lied to himself that he can strike and that’s why he got ko’d. Thiago went up to Machida with his hands down and said”knock me out”…
Machida has IMO yet to fight a true LEGIT threat, someon who can put him in real danger wherever the fight goes, that’s where Shogun comes in. Shogun is not Evans noe he is T. Silva. Shogun is a very well, very skilled fighter who is ALSO a very smart fighter. Shogun doesn’t go crazy or come in careless AND he’s waaayy more well rounded than Evans.
Machida beat Franklin and Penn waaayy back in the day when the two were not yet in their prime, soooo Shougun will be his toughest test yet and Shogun is by far the most well rounded fighter he’s faced and is the most dangerous because unlike Evans and Thiago, Shogun is not buying into all the Machida hype tha he’s “unbeatable” etc… Mike Brown and Brian Bowels didn’t buy into the Faber and Torres hype either and ended up shocking all of us, Shogun is next in line for one of those “upsets”.
Marvel do you not care for the whole Greg Jackson camp? You seem to have it in for most of their guys…
Also Penn had just vacated the WW belt after defeating Hughes… so saying he isn’t in his prime yet is a little misleading(out weighed yes, out matched no). Plus Machida wasn’t in his prime yet either, so that’s a little unfair too.
Now as far as what I think about Machida and Shogun. I agree with you that Shogun won’t scared and is a very technical striker. I also think that people need to remember that half the people here were calling for Machida’s head before his last two fights. That’s the Machida I expect to show up… the technical stick and move ghost that avoids powerful exchanges. Not the guy whose dropped some good technical strikers. He’ll avoid Shogun as long as possible and just try to out point him.
It’ll be up to Shogun to catch him otherwise he’ll be decision or if he gets frustrated and over extended he may get dropped with Machida’s great counter striking. I don’t think Machida is invincible but I do think he beats Shogun by decision, I haven’t seen enough from Shogun’s cardio to think he can fight at top condition the entire fight. Of course I’d love a surprise.
chrisl,
dude, i know it appears like i have it for every Greg Jackson fighter, but i don’t i’m a fan of his camp than most other camps, but i see why you would think that.
I posted my complete thoughts on this fight over in the forums section if you want to check it out, i do see your point and i agree my friend, i likke Machida for many reasons, i just have a problem with poeple make it seem like he’s Master Yoda and i have a problem with people who were critisizing him and now hopped onto the bandwagon.
Based on your avatar, it looks like you were pretty positive about a fight at the last PPV. I’m just saying.
I think someone posted once that my avatar looked like I’d lost a bet, but I corrected them and said no, that in fact I just liked Superdog in general, and Texas lacey white’s in particular…
dog’s are the best animal’s but that may be just the man’s best friend thing.
Hahahahaha yes yes It doesn’t it!!
Great Call dbiz!!
Sorry MK4 that was perfect timing on his part!!!
But I will say the fact that shogun stepped up to the challenge says alot about him as a fighter and where he feels he is at now!!!
“yes it does doesn’t it” what I meant to type!!
cheers
Machida Machida Machida
Yes. Thank you for your intellectually stimulating contribution.
SHOGUN flying knee in the 2nd ………..i know a strong pick….but i have a feeling shogun is going to “shock the world” and end the dragons rein…..
I want to see some of Machida’s ground game before we all get on the bandwagon. If Evans took the fight to the GROUND where his strength IS I think it would have be a different fight. Not saying he would of won just that you shouldn’t fight into someone’s strength. Machida’s karate is obviously his base and a dam good one since no one has figured it out YET.
When you ARE A CHAMPION in your division I thought you were considered ELITE? Don’t really get that.
jpdakilla,
Dude hope you don’t mind if i step in and say that “machida’s reign” hasn’t even begun. I say it will start with a victory over shogun, but if he loses to shogun he never really had a “reign”.
Animosity,
I think you’re referring to mk4’s comment about rashad and thiago not being elite fighters. I understand what you’re saying, BUT unfortunately not in all cases are champions “elite” fighters, well atleast imho.
Take, serra. Sure he shocked the world, but he did so right after competing in a show just to get BACK in the game. I don’t think he was an elite fighter just because he shocked the world.
Now take Brock. I don’t think anyone will argue with me when I say that just because brock beat an aged legend of the sport, that after only 5 mma fights he was an elite fighter just because he was the champ.
In rashad’s case, the same could be said, but then again there’s a lot of evidence to back up that he in fact IS an elite fighter.
I personally never liked the guy and I don’t think he’s that talented or well rounded, but the guy has shut my mouth enough times with a ko over lidell and a tko over griffin.
ya those fights with chuck and forrest made me think that he has good standup but looked like the worst stand up ever with lyoto people say that he s small for LHW can he make MW how much is he cutting for LHW?
animosity,
when you fight someone, you try to keep to your strenghts and not go to theirs, hence Lyoto decided to KO Rashad rather than wrestle him because thats one way to win a fight
Patience reaching it’s threshold FR702?
I understand brother! I too saw the wanderlei being the best 185er!! Sometimes i just chuckle and forget about it dude!
Again.. same way UFC fanboys hate on Hendo.. it’s like.. Hendo and Shogun both have proven themselves in MMA.. if anything some of the moves shown by Dana/Joe show they take in consideration all of MMA not just what happens inside their own ring when making matches.. IMO this is good.
animosity,
dude the reason why i don’t consider Rashad Evans to be an elite fighter is simple. He decisioned Bisping(who is not a top contender), then he ko’d an aging Liddell(who stuck his chin out right infront of Evans while holding his hands down), then he beat Forrest who is a really good fighter, but stillnot at true elite status, BUT when you put someon like Machida who is not going to lower his hands like Liddell and who is sure as he11 not Bisping or Sean fu*king Salmon, when you put a true legit contender in front of Evans what happens? He realizeds that he needs to greatly improve his game both and stick to his base because he has no striking, just that right hand that he has to load up. Evans will get ko’d by Rampage making it 2 for 2 getting ko’d by the first 2 legit guys he’s faced.
So YES Evans WAS the CHAMPION, but he took the EASY way to get there, what if he would have fought Wanderlei or even Hendo before he fought Forrest, my point now that guys like Evans and Bisping(at 185), now that they are fighting true legit contenders, it’ll prove what i’ve said all along that they cannot hang with the cream of the crop because they are not elite fighters yet, maybe they’ll never be…
just saying though, not a personal attack against you
man how is forest not ligit? he beat quinton
Given the number of people who think Rampage won that fight…Never question the short-sightedness of others.
i’m begining to feel like fr because i’m so disfunctional as i pointed out before i’m done for the day, i’m gonna go pass out…
Marvelknight:
You are working way too hard denying Rashad Evans his due. The man won Ultimate Fighter as a heavyweight, always giving away height and weight to his opponent. Even as a light heavyweight he is considered undersized, but showed the talent and perserverance to remain undefeated to the light heavyweight crown. Hate on Rashad all you want, all his loss to Machida showed was that it took that kind of quickness and speed to finally beat him. (And that’s why Machida’s great; he can make anyone look bad while making it look so easy.)
Tell you what, when Rashad beats Quinton Jackson, will you lighten up then?
frantzfanon,
dude nice to meet you it’s a pleasure,
if Evans beats Rampage then i will swallow up my pride and admit i was wrong, i honestly think Evans is a decent fighter, i just don’t think he’s as good as people say he is, at least not yet.
marvel he beat griffin and griffin has beaten shogun and JACKSON so how regardles of what anyone thinks he is one of the best in the world just like jardine is, hehe
Just a thought here… and maybe I am way off but you say Evans should have fought Wandi or Hendo first before Forrest… didn’t Chuck kinda defeat Wandi before fighting Evans? Plus Hendo was fighting at 185(fought the night Chuck was dropped by Evans) and signed to fight Rich shortly after that. So what would you have suggested him to do there?
There’s a lot of talk about who is an “elite” fighter…
If Machida and Evans aren’t “elite” (and I’m not saying they are, just pointing out an inconsistency) then who at 205 is? Now Shogun is “elite”? A few months ago he was a has been on this site. The “elite” fighters in the other divisions are obvious by our new MMA Frenzy standard.
But I happen to believe that any top 10 fighter is “elite” and they have all earned their spots.
And on a side topic….the fare-weatheredness (like that?) on the Comment Board is unreal. It’s amazing how the opinions change over just a few weeks when it comes to how good a fighter is.
Agreed Gar. Couldn’t have made that last point any better.
I agree to a certain point guys. But one thing is Rashad didn’t choose his opponents so taking the “EASY ROAD” I’m not so sure of.
“IF” Shogun beats Lyoto will he be an elite fighter in you guys eyes?
The easy road to me would be of course Brock.
would lyoto be considered elite in yours guy’s eyes if he dominates shogun?
The discussion can begin if he dominates Rua.
Just because a guy wins a belt does not equal greatness (I’m looking at you, Matt Serra). Sustained greatness is what is required.
You really think Brock has had an easy road???
He has faced Mir twice, Herring once, and Couture once…
That is not an easy path in my opinion.
while he got his shot a lil early, I have to agree he didn’t exactly build up on cans…
Yea his shot did come early…No denying that….
but he has stepped up and fought top guys
Im pumped for this fight. Not too excited for the velasquez/rothwell fight though. I honestly dont think velasquez or rothwell could beat any of the HW contenders, aside from cheick kongo.
As for the main event, Im pulling for Shogun. I dont care if everyone thinks he is a “has been” and all that bulllll. If Shogun shows up in his PRIDE form, there is no doubt in my mind that he has a shot at beating Machida. Also, I think on a level of potential that Shogun is easily one of the top 3 LHW’s in the UFC. However, with all that being said, i think Machida will probably win…..but im not counting Shogun out.
Machida will not beat Shogun in 1 round. It just wont happen. I think it will go at least 2, maybe 3 rounds. Hell, maybe it will go the distance.
Rua is going to shock the world…by not gassing in this fight!
I agree.
Rua won’t have the time to gas.
Machida will have him out of there around the four minute mark…
Mark my words Shogun will beat Machida
Marked.
good work guys haha
205 is stacked. Call me Mr. O.
Look at the top 10 at least and you’ll see world class fighters. They have nothin but time and eventually it will sort itself out. For now, enjoy the fights.
im kinda confused i was reading some of the comments at the top and saw mk4 say..thiago silva and rashad arent elite fighters?????…….jeeze fedor,rashad,thiago, jardine…what do these fighters have to do to be considered elite to you mk4 i mean jeeze shogun beats a over the hill liddell and coleman and you defend him yet rashad beats liddell coming off a big win, and forrest griffin and you cant even admit he is elite status…..then you insult jardine by saying he needs to be on the prelims even though he has lost to only big competition his whole
carrarecareer not to mention he was beating rampage on all three judges score cards till he got dropped in round 3……..i mean im really starting to get worried about you mk4 really worried…i would like to hear who are these elite fighters because if rashad,jardine,fedor and thiago arent elite i dont know who is and would love to knowedit~ FR702
TOP 10 (ELITE FIGHTERS) in light heavyweight
1. Lyoto Machida
2. Anderson Silva
3. Rashad evans
4. Thiago Silva
5. Forrest griffin
6. Muricio shogun
7. Wanderlei Silva
8. Rampage Jackson
9. Chuck Liddel
10.Keith Jardine
Well if you ask me the ufc has gone stagnant. Every belt is held by the best of the best. This was probably not anticipated by Dana white or the Fertita bros. I Don’t see any of them getting beaten anytime soon. In fact the only prospect of a title loss would be UFC newcomer Brock Lesnar. You just gotta face facts on that one he’s just too damn big, and WAY too strong. It takes little skill when your that big. The opposition has to be severely tactical, or just plain lucky to win. Both of which are unlikely now that he has more than a year of experience.
Andersen Silva CANNOT be beaten at 185. They have completely ran out of people to fight this guy in the middle-weight division. luckily he has decided to gain weight and step into light heavy-weight. If or should I say when he makes it through this weight class We will get a treat. I would say probably THE BEST match-up in the history of the sport. Machida vs Silva will probably be the hardest fight to call ever. If anyone can hit the elusive Machida it would be Andersen. However Machida is as un-predictable with his striking. If it came down to the ground game you might say Machida would have a very very slight advantage.
GSP again cannot be beaten by anyone in the weight class. Hes just too damn good. Every fight he improves. His conditioning is only comparable to that of maybe Lance Armstrong. The guy is a genetic freak! None of his recent fights have even been close. BJ Penn who I might add Is a TERRIBLE welter-weight was destroyed by the guy. Same with the former champ Matt Hughes.
BJ Penn Though one of the worst weter-weights, Is unstoppable at 155. In fact the only hope would be Dana white going against what he said before, and allowing maybe Uriah Faber to compete at this class.
There are NO exciting fights in the immediate future. Machida vs Silva is a While off. Machida vs shogun will be a joke. Shogun has a snowballs chance in hell at victory on that one. However with as ****ed as the light heavy-weight division is right now on rankings a good fight could be there, but its not. Machida vs jackson WOULD be pretty good. Like I said before pretty damn stagnant.
I think this is machida’s toughest fight so far.
shogun is not predictable, he’s hard to measure in the opening minutes, because his angles vary so much. no one has knocked him out … i can’t remember him being dazed even. If machida takes even 1 or 2 solid leg kicks and gets slowed he’ll get KTFO by shogun.
Shogun’s weakest attribute here is he’s wild and Machida doesn’t allow opponents to be sloppy.
it seems his cardio and knees are all better.
if shogun wins spider better move up