Comments on: Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua confirmed for UFC 104

By: n4707

n4707 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:51:35 +0000

A fight between Machida and Anderson Silva won’t happen unless one of them decides to leave the camp they both currently belong to. I have not ever seen two team mates face each other in a bout in the ufc. I would also like take the oppurtunity to correct revjames 13. Shogun did not have surgery performed on his knee until after his fight with Forrest Griffin.

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By: Jak

Jak — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:06:51 +0000

I’m a big Luis Cane fan, and a big Steve Cantwell fan, but i think both those guys showed holes in their game in their last fight. It was a great fight, but Cane definitively lost round 2 and got beat down by a guy not known as a striker.

I thought Cane would be a good match up for Anderson Silva at LHW, but i’m a little undecided on whether Cane has what it takes to take it to the next level.

Cane vs. Vera would be a nice fight.

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By: dpk

dpk — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:02:52 +0000

I think Cane is going to get at least two more fights before he gets his title shot. I think his next fight will be against Rich Franklin if he beats Wandy, if not then probably against the Jardine/Silva winner. Any of those fights will start familiarize him with the general public, and increase his drawing power.

Shogun gets the shot in October
Rampage/Rashad fight in Dec
Next LHW title defense will be in March or April unless Rampage loses, in which case Machida v Cane can happen earlier. The other Wild card is if Anderson Silva and Machida agree to fight, then it will probably happen at the Super Bowl Weekend Show in Jan.

The depth at LHW is still there, just most of it is tied up with other fights right now and the division has taken had some attrition with guys like Jardine (Rampage), T Silva (Machida), Forrest (Evans), Franklin (Hendo) and Evans (Machida) all coming off of losses right now. There is also a little bit of a transition era going on right now as Chuck and Wandy move out and guys like Cane, Jon Jones, Hamill, Vera, and Bader aren’t ready to fully step up yet and be title contenders. A year from now though, there will probably be 2 or 3 guys right at the top waiting for title shots.

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By: GetItOn

GetItOn — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:18:13 +0000

Ahh Luis “Banha” Cane. I just now realized his nickname is Banha. Well Shogun was top LHW before coming to the UFC. I think the UFC figures they can make some PPV numbers considering he KO’d Liddell.

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By: GetItOn

GetItOn — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:13:54 +0000

Clay The Caveman Guida on June 6th, 2009 2:58 pm wrote:

“I would put Bahna in there before Rua, at least he has been impressive.”

Who is Bahna?

Agree or Disagree: 2 0

By: revjames13

revjames13 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:57:52 +0000

Rua being a near legend and retiring Chuck is more or less enough given that Rampage is locked up in the TUF pen. For sure Page should be next in line, but if it ain’t him then Rua (who has a much better shot IMO) is a fine contender.

He was coming off knee surgery in his loss to Forrest and that is the big mark on his career. Forrest went on to take the title, so it’s not like he was some sort of scrub.

If you come into the UFC as a ready-made superstar, you really only need one big name fight to get a title shot, unless you are Fedor, and then you’d get it straight away.

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By: Brendhan Conlan

Brendhan Conlan — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:41:32 +0000

What did BJ Penn do to “deserve” a shot at GSP’s title? What did Lesnar do to “deserve” a shot at Couture’s title? “Deserve” has nothing to do with it.

Agree or Disagree: 1 0

By: Clay The Caveman Guida

Clay The Caveman Guida — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:58:17 +0000

I just can’t believe he has done in the UFC to earn a title shot. He was great in Pride, but he was finished by Forrest, won an joke of fight with a geriatric, then knocks out Chuck in his last fight ever (hopefully). I just don’t see it. One good performance in 3 in the UFC should not equate to a title shot. Jardine deserves it more, though I am not a fan. I would put Bahna in there before Rua, at least he has been impressive. Where has the divisional depth gone???

Caveman AKA Wet Blanket Guida

Agree or Disagree: 0 2

By: revjames13

revjames13 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:29:00 +0000

I think this is the best match-up in the division for Machida. I’m willing to give Shogun the benefit of the doubt in his recent poor performances (Chuck non-withstanding) to his multiple knee surgeries. It looks like he’s back on track or at least near the tracks.

He’s gonna have to be at 100% and then some to really challenge Machida, but he’s the only guy right now with the game to do it. Rampage is being preserved for now in TUF because the UFC knows that Machida would kill him and they don’t want to burst the Rampage bubble right now.

Who else is there? Forrest would go down exactly like Thiago did (which is his weakness anyway– the quick hit that drops you and then a fast GnP TKO). Jardine is awkward enough to pose some initial problems, but once Machida times him it’s nighty night.

If Machida takes out Rua, then they will have only the Rampage fight left to promote as a viable contender. That is, unless they can convince Anderson to move up and fight him. He’s the only guy I think could pose a serious threat to him right now. Given Anderson’s recent fights, that one could involve several rounds of boo-ing avoidance as well. I’d still favor Machida.

Once he takes out Shogun, you gotta put Machida in the top 5 P4P.

1. Fedor
2. GSP
3. Anderon Silva
4. Machida
5. Miguel Torres

Agree or Disagree: 1 4