Posted Wednesday, October 21, 2009 03:58 PM
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida faces off with Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua in an all Brazilian light heavyweight MMA
championship fight for UFC 104 on October 24th at the Staples Center
in LA. Shogun is on the comeback trail and looking good, but the
champion Machida remains the heavy favorite.
The former MMA PRIDE champion, Shogun Rua is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
and Muay Thai champion who is back in peak form and ready to prove
it. When he strikes, he strikes with fury at an opponent from all
angles sometimes exposing himself a little to land devastating
round-house kicks.
He earned the title shot at UFC 97 in Montreal where he knocked
Chuck Lidell out of the match and out of MMA with a 1st round left.
The line, at -410, heavily favors the champion Machida.
Machida fights using a unique style dubbed Machida Karate that
combines an ancient form of karate called Shotokan Karate and
Brazillian Jiu Jitsu as a base and adds techniques from Sumo, Muay
Thai, and Wrestling to give him techniques to use in every situation.
The fighting style makes him a very elusive target for other MMA
fighters. Machida starts a match avoiding blows as he searches for a
weak spot in his opponent. He rarely gets hit as he dances around the
ring making the other fighter look clumsy. Then, when he spots his
opening, he quickly dispatches his opponent.
Machida's clinical style makes him the obvious ... [More]