Lyoto Machida fights two wars during Saturday’s UFC 104 main event in Los Angeles: the war against Mauricio Rua, and the war of perception that Rua may not be the same one we remember.

Rua, once believed to be the most promising 205-pound athlete in the world, has looked human in recent outings against Mark Coleman and Forrest Griffin. He believes -- and fans believe -- knee surgeries have corrected his cardio and aggression issues. What they may not correct is his tendency to take a punch in order to give one. In Machida’s case, he’s not open to a fair trade.

In Rua’s favor: Machida’s relative inexperience dealing with jiu-jitsu during live competition. Rua is not Rickson Gracie, but he’s grades above Tito Ortiz, who sunk in a triangle choke on Machida in 2008.

Might Look Like: Machida vs. Thiago Silva, a snub-nosed striker swinging at air while Machida laughs quietly to himself and waits for an opportunity to resurrect 5,000 drafty karate schools around the country.

Third-Party Investor: Anderson Silva, who might be persuaded to fight Rua if pal Machida comes up short.

Who Wins: I would love to be contrary and spin an elaborate scenario that results in Rua winning. But I can’t. Someone will figure Machida out eventually, but Rua -- no master of the rigid game plan -- isn’t the guy to do it. Machida by TKO.

Guys with more to lose than just teeth.

Lyoto Machida: The 15-0 record is a pressure cooker -- without the “unbeatable” tag, would Lyoto Machida’s eccentric style be as captivating?

Joe Stevenson: A strong UFC start was sidetracked by the B.J. Penn loss: Joe Stevenson is 2-2 since that bout. To flirt with the top of the ladder again, beating Spencer Fisher isn’t optional.

Yushin Okami: On numbers alone, the 7-1 Octagon record should have earned Yushin Okami a title shot against Anderson Silva. Beating Chael Sonnen decisively could make him harder to ignore. (Though both fans and the promotion are doing solid work on that front.)

“Saw VI”: “Saw V” was the “Au Revoir Les Enfants” of movies featuring fake and displaced intestines. Expectations are high.

Lyoto Machida makes me proud to be a fan and observer of this sport. He’s respectful, appreciative, and the ignition for the most talked-about platform shift in fighting sports since Royce Gracie began choking people out with his thighs.

Speaking with Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso, Machida explained that if he defends his belt five times, he wants an opportunity to face Brock Lesnar.

“My focus is on my class, but in the future I would like to do a couple of [heavyweight] fights, like Brock Lesnar,” he told Alonso. “I respect Brock Lesnar as a fighter, but I know I can fight with him. Brock Lesnar is a big challenge for me because he’s a big guy, very strong, very fast. For me, I like the challenge.”

Painfully ambitious guy. Lesnar/Machida, if it ever happens, could represent the largest-scale style vs. style match in the sport’s history. There’s probably no way Lesnar could tag Machida standing, but I would have a hard time imagining Machida could get out from underneath Lesnar. (That’s not a character flaw: he couldn’t out-grapple a Kodiak bear, either, but I don’t hold it against him.)

Said before but maybe worth repeating: Machida is a new incarnation of Rickson Gracie, a near-mythical fighter whose value comes from a seemingly flawless execution of a house style. Thank God he’s actually interested in fighting.

Thursday’s upload of “MMA Live” brings with it a discussion of Anderson Silva’s future as a hybrid-weight athlete. I won’t spoil the dialogue for you, but there is indication from some idiot blogger that there’s no small degree of futility in Silva picking off contenders at 205 pounds when he has no intention of vying for friend Lyoto Machida’s belt.

Taking it a few steps further:

1. Let’s say the UFC was able -- through strong-arming and coercing worthy of a Kung Fu flick -- to push Machida and Silva into a bout. With their reluctance well-documented, can you imagine the level of hyper-analysis that would follow their every move? Say one gets knocked down with a stiff jab -- or worse, someone torques an ankle or knee. Happens all the time. But if it happens in the context of two reluctant sparring partners in a prizefight neither wanted, there would be no end of speculation over the potential for choreography.