D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Dana White, Mauricio Rua, and the fans wanted it: Lyoto Machida’s metacarpal did not. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Machida/Rua rematch, originally (and optimistically) eyed for a Jan. 2 date, will have to wait until Machida’s hand is cleared from surgery.
Why is this good news? Because if the fight had gone on their New Year’s event, it would’ve given both men only eight weeks for a training camp just weeks after they had first prepared for one another: that’s a grueling schedule for anyone. The last thing the world needs is another bout filled with footnotes.