Junior Dos Santos  rises through the Ultimate Championship Fighter arenas. His recent win against Mirko Cro Cop, on September 19th was his third win an row. From Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, with an age of only 25 years, and a overall MMA record of 8-1-10, Dos Santos strengths are not only boxing strengths, but a no doubt, no hesitation attitude.  His height: 6′ 4″, his weight 238 lbs, his definition, clear and dangerous.

Junior Dos Santos is purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu and the Bahia State Jiu-Jitsu Champion; Bahia State Submission Champion. Combining classic boxing techniques with martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu, he has knocked fighters out.

Hitting high or low, hitting fast and strong, Dos Santos looks for the space and takes it. Dos Santos power may be in his hands, and his structured protection techniques. The classic ways come alive with Dos Santos. Inside the caged ring the speed and movement on his feet and the training done in wrestling and on ground martial arts become evident.

What drives and motivates Junior Dos Santos into these victories?  Technique of raw front hitting, to the body and back, his guard on the top, dogging, spacing, timing, projecting, and finding. Fast battles in a career that grows. With still a long way to go, the time for doubts are no way in sight. Proven versatile, worthy of a challenge, Junior dos Santos is another fighter from distant lands, with distant attitudes that seems to bring his own light into the business of sport and the arts of mixed martial arts.

When the sound that marks the beginning comes, “The Saint“, Dos Santos, moves forward. With firm positions he unbalances the opponents finding the breaking points. He knocked out Fabricio Werdum  in one minute 20 second of the first round. On February 29th, 2009, his fight with Stephen Struve lasted only 54 seconds, ending in a technical knock out. 

Some fighters just have a special quality to them, some call it talent, other call it a shine. The look of a warrior is a window into his own world, fighting for a choice of life, these kind of fighters seem immerse in a inner fight, a secret world unfolds within them. To be present when they unleash they shadows, can be a privilege for some, and become a nightmare for others.
Dos Santos physical complexion is intimidating. Physically prepared like few others, he is trained professionally with experts in different fields, combining wrestling, with Jiu-Jitsu and what can be called classic boxing, the force and the attitude come in sync for a specific purpose.

Cryptic ways of fighting are those few things that become a threat to other fighters inside the ring. A fighter that can not be understood and that can not be studied can not be entirely defeated. His style may be observed but the ways of a fighter can only be found in  the inner kingdoms and distant lands within.  The Saint, dos Santos, is one of these fighters,  you may see him coming, but only he knows where he comes from, where going to, and how he is going to get there.

From the streets of Paris, Cheick Kongo flies through the UFC setting his own pace. Cheick Kongo has been fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for 3 years, since July 2006. With 10 fights,  7 wins and 3 losses,  the man of knock outs  is stilled called by some a man of mystery.  Although his last encounter resulted in a loss, it was a loss by unanimous decision. His opponent, the well known Cain Velasquez, saw him battle on June 13th all the way until the end. A pattern emerges in the statistics of Cheick Kongo, usually winning two or three fights he is finds a rival which defeats him. Cheick Kongo has not been knock out, in fact more than one  his losses where granted on spilt decisions.

But do statistics, time, or pattern make a good fighter? What does makes a good fighter? Warriors of the modern time, usually find that time move them out of the UFC fast, faster than usual. In this sport, a fighter that remains, a fighter with experience, a fighter that keeps fighting, can be said to be unique. If these are some of the characteristics of a good fighter, the ability to remain in the UFC, for years, then Cheick Kongo is one of these fighters, but this is not Cheick´s only ability. 

Some claim a fighter grows stronger with defeat? The man of few words, heavy weight contender, Cheick Kongo´s history proves that he is a fighter one of these men, a man of fast comes backs, bringing  triumph after each loss.

With more win than losses, this fighter has been training since he was 5 years old. One can only image the early days of Cheick Kongo, those first encounters with the mixed martial arts that shape and inspire a fighter through not only his career but through out his life.

With brief words like “honour”, and right time, Cheick Kongo defines his style. Revealing nothing, his display changes seeking perfection. As he waits for his next chance in the UFC, Cheick Kongon with 34 years of age, a height 6′ 4″, a weight of 240 lbs, and a overall MMA Record (W-L-D) of 24-5-1 has been in this position before. Fighters that have stood up to him have referred him to be one of the best fighters of the Heavyweight division.  Cheick Kongo holds his passions close to him, he is a movement representing European and French fighters, in a league dominated by fighters coming from other countries. Out of Paris, for some time now, the last moments of Cheick Kongo are far from over.

Cheick Kongo ,  the 2005 World Champion Federation King of the Rings  is an intelligent, balanced,  and focused fighter, who knows the limits of the UFC ring,  He is no stranger to championship and  Unlike other fighters who rise and fall, Powerful kicks, infiltrating hands, he is stand up fighter, who makes no mistakes on the ground. Cheick Kongo, speaks and fights clear, “It nothing personal, it is just sports, it is just business”. Cheick Kongo goes patiently after the Championship, he remains steady, constant, poised, and ready for more.

The outcry following Saturday night’s Lyoto Machida versus Mauricio “Shogun” Rua UFC 104 main event came in fast and furious after Machida was handed what many deemed and “champion’s decision.”

It appeared to most onlookers – casual fans, fighters, and even UFC president Dana White – that Shogun should have run away with a five-round unanimous decision. The California State Athletic Commission appointed judges saw it differently, unanimously keeping the light heavyweight belt around Machida’s waist.

All three judges – Nelson “Doc” Hamilton, Cecil Peoples, and Marcos Rosales – issued scores of 48-47 in the champion’s favor. Peoples and Rosales both scored the first three rounds for Machida and the final two for Shogun. Hamilton’s card had it rounds one and five for Shogun, sandwiching the favor for Machida in rounds two, three, and four.

Never one to bury his opinion, White didn’t waver in his assertion that Shogun won the fight. However, when he offered a detailed assessment of the scoring, like most who were pressed, he wasn’t far removed from the commission’s judges.

“The first round could have gone either way. I gave the second and third to Machida and then I gave the fourth and fifth to Shogun,” he revealed. “So assuming that Shogun won the first, fourth, and fifth, he wins the fight. Was it a close fight? Yeah, it was a close fight.”

While fans and fighters alike come down hard on the overall state of judging in mixed martial arts, White repeated the words he has uttered often, “You can’t leave it in the hands of the judges. You just can’t do it.”

Most fighters that weighed in after the bout vehemently favored Shogun as the winner, but echoed White’s sentiment.

“I honestly thought Shogun won and I thought it should have went to him, but like Dana says, you can’t leave it to the judges,” said Joe Stevenson, who won earlier in the night.

Anthony Johnson also fought at UFC 104, assessed it the same, “I think Shogun won, (but) neither one of them went out there like they should have.”

Fighters from Kenny Florian to “Razor” Rob McCullough to Efrain Escudero voiced their opinions that Shogun had earned the belt, but Joe Lauzon summed it up succinctly on his Twitter account, “This is why… You NEVER leave it to the judges! When you finish your opponent, you don’t need to worry about judges!”

White, at the post fight press conference, said he talked to Machida and Shogun shortly after the fight and both agreed to a rematch. No date or location was discussed.

LOS ANGELES – Patrick Barry (5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) may eventually be proved an undersized heavyweight, but Saturday night was not the time.

The 29-year-old Barry, who has already earned a reputation in he UFC for devastating low kicks in his brief UFC tenure, instead used tenacious punching to bring down a much larger Antoni Hardonk (8-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on the preliminary card of “UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun” at Staples Center in Los Angeles

The bout was the unquestionable highlight of the evening’s first six contests, two of which aired live on Spike TV.

After refusing to touch gloves, Hardonk started out in typical fashion, throwing powerful leg kicks that connected flush. Unfortunately, Hardonk also mixed in a few eyepokes that had Barry wincing. “Get Hype’s” eye reddened as the bout carried on, but it hardly mattered.

Barry found his rhythm as time wore on, dropping Hardonk with a jab in the opening frame and pouncing on his downed foe. Barry landed several ground-and-pound blows while looking to secure an arm from half-mount. Unsuccessful, Barry returned to his feet and waited for the second round to commence.

Then Barry took over.

A series of 1-2’s in the second frame proved troublesome for the bigger Hardonk. Barry’s speed inside dropped Hardonk to the canvas twice, and “Get Hype” simply stood in the center of the cage each time, waiting for his foe to return to the feet.

A third knockdown came from a right hand to the temple, and Barry pounced. Two shots came from the top as Hardonk covered, but it was obvious the Dutch striker was done. Referee Josh Rosenthal saved Hardonk at the halfway mark of the second frame.

An emotional Barry celebrated the impressive win as he improved to 2-1 in the UFC. Hardonk suffered his second-straight second-round TKO win.

In the evening’s featured preliminary contest, former “The Ultimate Fighter 8″ winner Ryan Bader (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) kept his undefeated record intact with an impressive win over a tough-as-nails Eric Schafer (11-4-2 MMA, 3-3 UFC).

Bader loaded up on his right hand throughout the contest, and he landed the devastating blow on enough occasions to warrant concern for Schafer. But “Red” survived the onslaught each time and actually worked well from his back.

The second frame saw Schafer actually mount some offense of his own, and Bader’s attack slowed briefly. Unfortunately for Schafer, it was only briefly.

The third round saw Bader again return to the right-hand heavy offense coupled with the wrestling that is the hallmark of all Arizona Combat Sports fighters. Schafer did his best to mount an offense from his back, but Bader had done enough to earn the unanimous nod. Judge Tony Weeks actually awarded the first and third frames to Bader by a 10-8 margin.

Bader runs his record to 3-0 in the UFC with the win, while the loss was Schafer’s first in three trips to the octagon and snapped a four-fight overall win streak.

Sonnen shocks Okami; Rivera impressive in win

It wouldn’t have been difficult to convince just about anyone that middleweights Chael Sonnen (24-10-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Yushin Okami (23-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) were destined for a decision finish. Predicting the path they took to get there is a different story.

Sonnen used quick strikes and a stinging overhand left to take the action to Okami immediately. Sonnen disrupted the rhythm of his Japanese counterpart, and Okami was never able to utilize the wrestling that has guided him to success in previous outings.

Sonnen repeated the strategy throughout the fight. And while Okami was willing to stand and trade in the pocket, scoring with a few solid straight punches, Sonnen’s quickness proved the more effective tool.

Sonnen found himself briefly in trouble in the final frame, as Okami looked for a Kazushi Sakuraba-esque kimura from a standing position. Sonnen easily wiggled free when his opponent hit the floor and avoided a potential disaster. It was the only real offense Okami could muster, and Sonnen swept all three rounds on each of the judges’ cards.

After the win, Sonnen said his planned involved taking the fight to Okami from the outset.

“That was the plan,” Sonnen said. “I went right after him. Yushin doesn’t push the action, but he’s always ready to fight. He definitely hit me hard.

Sonnen has now earned two-straight impressive wins in the UFC, while Okami loses for just the second time in nine trips to the octagon.

Middleweights Jorge Rivera (17-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and Rob Kimmons (22-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) appeared willing to stand and trade as their preliminary card bout opened, but those exchanges quickly turned one-sided.

With much of the action taking place in the clinch, each fighter took turns delivering damage with their hands and knees. And while Rivera found himself in a bad spot in the closing seconds of the opening round – underneath Kimmons and eating punches against the cage – any concerns for “El Conquistador” were quickly dispersed when the second frame began.

Rivera’s hands began to find their mark in the second, and Kimmons found himself on his back, eating shots. Rivera remained patient, backing away and returning with punches, earning the round with ease while visibly rocking his opponent.

The final frame saw more of the same to open, and a flurry of shots dropped Kimmons while also bloodying his face. Kimmons earned a brief reprieve to check the wounds, but Rivera resumed the punishment immediately on the restart, forcing the stoppage 1:53 into the final round.

Following the bout, Rivera thanked an improved diet for the impressive performance.

“I worked really ahrd for this fight,” Rivera said. “I wasn’t eating properly. Now I have someone helping wiht my nutrition.”

Rivera also thanked his family for the necessary motivation.

“My main motivating factor was my children,” Rivera said. “I have three kids to feed. My biggest fear is not being able to provide for them.”

Though Rivera’s career has been marked with mixed results in the UFC, the 37-year-old is now 4-2 in his past six contests in the promotion.

Kimmons falls to 1-2 in his past three UFC outings.

Kingsbury edges Al-Hassan in split; Struve taps Gormley

The preliminary bout between light heavyweights Kyle Kingsbury (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Razak Al-Hassan (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was expected to offer a classic striker vs. grappler contest. Instead, the two offered a classic stalemate for 15 minutes.

Kingsbury worked the fight to the floor in the opening round, but Al-Hassan did well to negate any attack from his foe. Unfortunately despite preventing any attacks, Al-Hassan also offered little in return.

As the bout wore on to the second and third frames, the contest turned into a standup affair. Kingsbury pressed forward with traditional boxing and worked to body locks when he available. Al-Hassan answered with a bit of flashy kickboxing, but the blows rarely scored with much authority.

The moderate-to-slow pace through the final frames earned boos from the crowd, and the results of the rounds were anything but assured. In the end, Kingsbury forward movement and clinch work earned him the nod, albeit in a split decision.

The win was the former “The Ultimate Fighter 8″ contestant’s first in the UFC after dropping his debut to Tom Lawlor in December 2008. Al-Hassan has now dropped two-straight in the UFC (though his arm appears in much better shape following the second than it did the first) and may be faced with his release from the promotion.

In the evening’s opening contest, Dutch “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (18-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) earned his second-straight UFC win by tapping out newcomer Chase Gormley (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC).

Struve opened the bout with a few powerful low kicks, but it was his grappling that would earn him the win. After the pair each tried securing leglocks, Struve deftly worked in a triangle choke from top position and rolled to his back. Gormley held on briefly, but the hold tightened and forced the tap with 56 seconds remaining in the first frame.

After dropping his UFC debut to Junior dos Santos in January, Struve has now won two-straight in the promotion. The loss was Gormley’s first as a professional.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Ryan Bader defeats Eric Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-26, 30-27)
• Pat Barry def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:30
• Chael Sonnen def. Yushin Okami via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jorge Rivera def. Rob Kimmons via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:53
• Kyle Kingsbury def. Razak Al-Hassan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Stefan Struve def. Chase Gormley via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:04

LOS ANGELES – The UFC’s first visit to Los Angeles since May 2006 ended with one of the more controversial outcomes in recent memory, but the live gate was deemed a win.

UFC president Dana White said 16,000 fans packed Staples Center on Saturday night, generating a $1.9 million gate.

The official numbers will be certified early next week by the California State Athletic Commission.

The numbers are actually down slightly from the $2 million figure White shared with the media on Thursday, though the UFC exec admitted before issuing the number that he hadn’t seen the sales report in the past few days.

White also shared on Thursday that 3,300 complimentary tickets had already been issued, though the final total could certainly rise.

Should the numbers hold true, the revenue generated would represent an average ticket price of $118.75 for the event. That figure is a decrease of 39.54 percent from the $196.41 average ticket price of the May 2006 “UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie” event, also held at Staples Center.

That event drew 14,765 attendees, of which 10,347 were paid admissions.

James Thompson, introduced as Alistair Overeem’s opponent on the eve of Saturday’s DREAM.12 event, didn’t overcome the hideous odds against him – as high as 18-to-1 against with some books – and suffered a swift, first-round submission loss to the Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

The heavyweight bout capped today’s DREAM.12 event.

The event, which also featured a victory for Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, took place at Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan.

The show aired in North America on HDNet.

Overeem, now 6-0 since winning the Strikeforce belt in November 2007, easily submitted the former Cage Rage and EliteXC fighter. The Dutch striker immediately attempted a flying knee and missed – and the momentum nearly sent him out of the organization’s newly debuted cage. Overeem (31-11), though, quickly engaged again and slapped on the fight-ending guillotine choke from the standing position and forced Thompson (14-11) to tap in a little more than a half minute.

Overeem, also a K-1 kickboxer, is expected to fight a couple times more in Japan before year’s end before returning the U.S. to make his first-ever and long-awaited Strikeforce title defense in early 2010.

Also picking up a win at DREAM.12 and looking quite comfortable in the DREAM cage (which is expected be used once a year in favor of the traditional ring) was Alvarez, who made his first appearance since winning Bellator’s eight-man tournament, lightweight belt and nearly $200,000 in purses and bonuses for the performance.

With Bellator looking to determine a challenger for Alvarez with a second-season lightweight tournament, which doesn’t begin until April, the promotion allowed the Philadelphia fighter to compete overseas.

The decision looked as thought it could be a disastrous one early on. Opponent Katsunori Kikuno, lightweight champion of the DEEP promotion, frustrated Alvarez early. Alvarez was unable to get the fight to the ground, dodged an early neck crank and absorbed some body shots before the first round ended.

Alvarez (19-2), though, quickly took over in the second and dropped Kikuno (12-2-1) with a big right hand. He then nearly ended it via guillotine choke but scored a subsequent takedown and locked in the fight-ending arm-triangle choke soon after.

Also picking up victories at DREAM.12 were DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis (13-3), who scored a head-kick KO of Ho Bae Myeon (8-1) in a non-title fight; Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2), a former WEC fighter who submitted Chase Beebe (12-5-1) and delivered the former WEC bantamweight champ his fourth straight loss; and the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba (26-12-1), who absorbed a ton of punishment before finally submitting Zelg “Little Cro Cop” Galesic (9-5) via kneebar in the first round.

The full results included:

• Alistair Overeem def. James Thomson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1
• Eddie Alvarez def. Katsunori Kikuno via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2
• Marius Zaromskis def. Myeon Ho Bae via KO (head kick) – Round 1
• Kazushi Sakuraba def. Zelg Galesic via submission (kneebar) – Round 1
• Katsuyori Shibata def. Tokimitsu Ishizawa by TKO (punches) – Round 1
• Yoon Dong Sik def. Tarec Saffiedine via split decision
• Yoshiro Maeda def. Chase Beebe via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1
• Kuniyoshi Hironaka def. “Parky” Won Sik Park via TKO (corner’s stoppage) – Round 1
• Tomoya Miyashita def. Keisuke Fujiwara via unanimous decision

LOS ANGELES – Never one to bite his tongue, UFC president Dana White didn’t take long to express his feelings on the main event of Saturday night’s “UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun” in Los Angeles.

“I thought ‘Shogun’ won the fight,” White said as UFC 104’s post-fight press conference opened.

White was just as displeased as most fans in attendance at Staples Center, as well as the majority of viewers at home, that champion Lyoto Machida was awarded a unanimous-decision win over challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. But unlike the rest of those complaining, White can schedule a rematch – and it looks like he will.

“I think there will be a rematch,” White said. “I talked to both of them, and they both agreed to a rematch.”

The five round affair between Machida and Rua proved difficult to score. With both fighters remaining patient while picking and choosing their shots, neither outright claimed any of the frames. White said that’s a behavior that needs to change moving forward.

“One of the things I always tell these guys is ‘You can’t leave it in the hands of the judges,’” White said. “You just can’t do it. But at the end of every round, neither one of the guys went after it. Neither guy tried to steal the round.

“You saw it a lot in boxing – and these guys have got to learn it in MMA – is when that 30 seconds is left, go after it and try to steal that round. Neither one of them did it throughout the fight.”

It was that inability to steal rounds that led to the hotly disputed decision. But while White claimed he felt Rua earned the win, the UFC exec admitted the rounds were close.

“When you go round-by-round and you score the fight, I actually had Machida winning the fight up until the third round,” White said. “The first round could have gone either way. I gave the second and third to Machida. And then I gave the fourth and fifth to ‘Shogun.’ Assuming that ‘Shogun’ won the first, fourth and fifth, he wins the fight.

“I knew it was going to be a tough one. I knew it was going to be strategic. It was everything I thought it would be, except they should have pressed more and gone after it at the end of the rounds and tried to really pull out the rounds and make it easier to score. It was a tough fight to score.”

White said he would have to figure out when a rematch could take place, but he think it should be the next fight for each competitor. And White said his motivation for scheduling a rematch has as much to with his desires as a fan as much as his concerns as a businessman.

“That’s me the fight fan (and) the businessman,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “Whatever you want to call me, I want to see this fight again.”

LOS ANGELES – Preliminary-card fighters swept the “fight night” bonuses at Saturday’s “UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun.” Stefan Struve took home “Submission of the Night” honors; Patrick Barry and Antoni Hardonk won “Fight of the Night.” Barry took home a double award, also winning “Knockout of the Night.”

Each competitor earned a $60,000 bonus check per award with the UFC’s traditional post-show bonus program, with Barry taking home a total of $120,000 in bonus pay.

Announcing the awards, Dana White also mentioned that Anthony “Rumble” Johnson “should have won ‘Knockout of the Night,’” but that the fighter wasn’t eligible due to failing to make weight for his bout.

UFC 104 took place Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Portions of the card aired on both Spike TV and pay-per-view.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene for the event and the night’s post-fight press conference, where the awards were announced.

Barry’s double awards resulted from an energetic fight finished via second-round TKO, which the 29-year-old secured in the second round of a preliminary card bout that aired on Spike TV. The crowd-pleasing matchup ultimately ended when Barry found his range and landed multiple one-two combinations, eventually knocking Hardonk to the floor with a jab and finishing with a quick dose of ground and pound.

Stuve, meanwhile, picked up the Submission of the Night bonus for his preliminary-card victory over UFC newcomer Chase Gormley. After opening the fight utilizing his kickboxing skills, Struve deftly worked in a triangle choke from top position and rolled to his back to finish the hold. Gormley held on briefly, but Struve forced the tap with 56 seconds remaining in the first frame to win the award.

The legacy that was supposed to begin on Saturday night for UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida was tarnished somewhat, as the crowd in attendance thought he lost the fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but the judges saw it differently handing him a five-round unanimous decision win.

If anyone questioned whether Shogun actually belonged in the same cage as Machida, the answer came swiftly in the first round as the former Pride Grand Prix champion came after the current 205-pound king early and often in their UFC 104 main event battle.

Shogun used controlled aggression to stalk Machida in both rounds one and two, landing good leg and body kicks and never let the champion get his timing down to a science. Machida’s mid-section showed the ill effects of the body shots with a severe red streak across his ribs.

The third round was running pretty even throughout with Shogun hitting the body kicks repeatedly, and grabbing a Muay Thai clinch at one point, almost planting a knee on Machida’s chin. Towards the tail end of the five-minute session, Machida plowed forward with a flurry of punches and got a great combination off, but Shogun countered beautifully with a big right that slowed the champion down again.

As the fight moved on, Shogun continued to use what could have been the fight defining move as he pounded away at Machida’s legs, and then following up with body shots. Machida tried to counter, but Shogun was elusive and accurate when aiming at his opponent.

The final round saw little desperation out of the champion as Machida continued to struggle and find his range, while Shogun peppered his legs with shot after shot. As the fighters tagged each other moving towards the cage, Shogun again landed the better shot as he popped Machida with a good left hand with the champion backing up.

It seemed clear-cut when the fight ended with Shogun hoisted in the air by his teammates, and Machida looking tired in his corner putting on his t-shirt. But when the judges’ scorecards were read, all three came down with a score of 48-47 and in shocking fashion as Machida was declared the winner.

“It was my most difficult fight I’ve had in the UFC,” Machida said after getting the nod from the judges. “All three (judges) basically gave me a unanimous decision, so that’s how the judges saw it.”

With the crowd in Los Angeles booing in extreme disapproval with the decision, Machida stepped up when asked if he’d be open to a rematch with Shogun down the road.

“Whenever he wants, I’ll try again,” said the champion.

While most would disagree that he lost the fight, Shogun still showed class and sportsmanship when addressing the decision loss.

“I trained hard for this fight for four months, my partner told me I was winning all the rounds, I feel like I won this fight, but a fight is a fight, what can I do,” Shogun commented after the end of the bout.

For Machida, the fight may go down as a victory, but he also knows he was in a battle for maybe the first time in his career, and Shogun likely feels he won the fight. Now the decision for a rematch lies in the hands of UFC president Dana White.

UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida weighed-in Friday at 202.5 pounds and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua registered at 204.5 for their UFC 104 main event fight happening Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

Full results of the weigh-ins for all 22 fighters are below, and video of the weigh-ins is available here.

Immediately after weighing-in, the two Brazilians stepped away from their usual comfort of a translator to address the audience in English.

“I’m fighting here in Los Angeles, my home,” Machida told the crowd. “Tomorrow i put on a great performance. I have done my homework. Thank you my friends!”

“This my belt is my dream,” Rua said. “Tomorrow I’m going to put a show for everybody.”

For Saturday’s co-headliner, Ben Rothwell will have nearly 30 pounds over Cain Velasquez for their heavyweight bout. Rothwell made weight on the dot at 265 pounds, while Velasquez checked-in at 238 pounds.

Anthony Johnson may have to look into moving up a weight class as he weighed-in at 176 pounds — five pounds above the limit with allowance. His opponent, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who stepped off at 170, agreed prior to the weigh-ins to fight at Johnson’s official weight.

Gleison Tibau, 157 pounds, and Josh Neer, 156.5, both failed to make weight for their lightweight bout and both agreed on stage to fight at a catchweight of 157 pounds.

Weigh-In Results:

PPV
Lyoto Machida (202.5) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5)
Cain Velasquez (238) vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
Joe Stevenson (155.5) vs. Spencer Fisher (155)
Anthony Johnson (176) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170)
Josh Neer (156.5) vs. Gleison Tibau (157)

Spike TV
Ryan Bader (205) vs. Eric “Red” Schafer (205.5)
Antoni Hardonk (249.5) vs. Pat Barry (237)

Prelims
Yushin Okami (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
Jorge Rivera (185) vs. Rob Kimmons (185)
Kyle Kingsbury (205.5) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (204.5)
Stefan Struve (243.5) vs. Chase Gormley (262)