Sherdog’s Top 10: Worst Decisions

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3. Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua
UFC 104 “Machida vs. Shogun”
Oct. 24, 2009 | Los Angeles
Prior to UFC 104, Lyoto Machida was widely regarded as mixed martial arts’ most difficult puzzle. The man known as “The Dragon” had won 15 straight fights, besting the likes of Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans along the way. In seven Octagon appearances, he had rarely absorbed any significant damage and, as a result, had yet to lose a round. When Machida fought, judges’ jobs were relatively easy.

That all changed in his first meeting with Rua. The longtime Chute Boxe standout punished the legs and body of his opponent throughout the five-round contest. While Machida did have his moments landing combinations and kicks, his counter-punching style was largely negated by an aggressive “Shogun.” Rua got stronger as the bout progressed. Meanwhile, Machida bled from his mouth and struggled to keep his hands up. As the fighters waited for the final tallies, the champion stood solemnly, head down.

Perhaps Nelson Hamilton, Cecil Peoples and Marcos Rosales were swayed by the Machida mystique, as each judge scored the fight 48-47 in favor of “The Dragon.” Peoples and Rosales both gave the first three rounds to Machida, while Hamilton had him winning frames two through four.

FightMetric figures paint a far different picture: Rua outlanded Machida in each frame and 80 to 35 in significant strikes overall. Additionally, no media scorers sided with Machida.

“My corner told me that I was winning all the rounds,” Rua said. “I feel like I won this fight, but a fight is a fight. What can I do?”

“Shogun” emphatically answered his own question in their rematch, knocking out Machida inside of a round at UFC 113. While the riddle had been already been solved, it took seven months for justice to be served.

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