My thoughts

I saw it 3-2 Machida before the decision was made and the judges saw it the same way. Like i point out in another thread, people always feel it's the challenger who got robbed in these very very close fights. The announcers said it during those final 2 rounds in which i felt Rua clearly won, was it enough? i don't feel it was. Eitheir way this is a controversial decision, but i feel Shogun winning could be looked back on like Griffin winning vs. Rampage...was it really enough? You got to rip the title away from the champ and Shogun fought a great strategic fight but he did not clearly win more than 2 rounds, and i feel Machida won the first three rounds...#3 easily.

Let me point out that i will still eat crow after this. I was very disrespectful regarding Shogun for weeks and he was amazing tonight. He removed all the untouchable mystique Machida had and maybe drew the blueprint for future opponents on how to approach Lyoto. Rua deserves an immediate rematch after this close of a fight. Not after the winner of Griffin-Ortiz, Cane-Nog, Evans-Silva...Next, as soon as these guys can be ready. He did not win the title but he did not lose his spot, he is still the best guy they can throw at Machida. I will say Shogun is back and i won't be so cocky for Lyoto next time. Amazing fight.

Shogun was screwed!!! He won 3 probably 4 rounds. Machida had very little offense at all and Shogun deserved the descion. He was robbed in my book.

4-1 shogun

Im with u Josh!!

im gonna make a shirt on this chute boxing kills karate!

that's just dumb... Im a big Machida fan and if i was judging the fight, I could only give him 2 rounds... and that's being bias towards him.

first two were close but I thought Shogun won them and so did just about every live blog ie bloody elbow. 3 went to Machida with 4 and 5 goingn to shogun. No shit you are 1 of about 6 total people I've seen that actually think Machida won thats including the judges. THE UG CRASHED FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!!!!!!!!! Even the Machida fans on the UG board are pissed off. Seriously who wants their favorite fighter to win a robberty like that?

It really wasn't close at any point. Machida's best round he won wasn't even as good as the worst of the rounds Shogun won.

Jordan Breen (Sherdog): 48-47 Rua
Brian Knapp (Sherdog): 48-47 Rua
Mike Fridley (Sherdog): 50-45 Rua

Sergio Non (USA Today): 49-46 Rua
Beau Dure (USA Today): 48-47 Rua

MMA Junkie: 49-46/48-47 Rua

promma.info: 50-45 Rua

fiveouncesofpain.com: 50-45 Rua

That pretty much says it all right there? I haven't seen a blog or anything anywhere that showed Machida winning that fight.

Thats cause machida didnt win the fight.

Well, all i can say is i can't wait for a rematch to happen so it can be settled.

I do feel Lyoto was expecting something different. I don't feel he was expecting the tactical fighting that he saw, i think a rematch will awnser a lot of questions that even i have after this fight.

lol yep

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Well, all i can say is i can't wait for a rematch to happen so it can be settled.

I do feel Lyoto was expecting something different. I don't feel he was expecting the tactical fighting that he saw, i think a rematch will awnser a lot of questions that even i have after this fight.

I think Dana white has a judge button with that kind of response in mind fo when he presses it, the majority picked Machida.

Why would Dana want to protect Machida though?

Is Machida a huge draw? not really.

Will Rua winning the title open up Anderson Silva challenging for it? yes.

I just don't see the part where it's good for business to screw Shogun.

Do you wanna see a rematch?

I want to see a rematch times 10 fucking thousand, it was a great fucking battle between two guys that i feel are on an island together while the rest of the LHW division is somewhere else.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Why would Dana want to protect Machida though?

Is Machida a huge draw? not really.

Will Rua winning the title open up Anderson Silva challenging for it? yes.I just don't see the part where it's good for business to screw Shogun.

This is exactly what I thought before the decision came out. Honestly, I didn't know how to score the fight the first two rounds, but I gave them to Machida for being the champ. The third round I felt was decisively his, but he lost the fourth and definitely the fifth. I wasn't sold the judges saw it the same way after the Rampage/Forrest fight so I thought it might go to SHogun allowing Anderson Silva to go Dan Henderson on the titles.

One other thing about Machida, why didn't he take Shogun down before the bell each round? I'm pretty sure he could take Shogun down and it would have been an easy point in a close round, plus if you do it early in the round, then there's no fear of Shogun's BJJ.

after the fight Dana told shogun that you won that fight
check the video

Personally I thought Shogun won 49-46 with Machida winning only the 3rd round, but I didn't see it as anything close to the robbery that people seem to see it as.

Rounds 4 and 5 were decisively won by Rua, round 3 I thought Machida won with that flurry at the 1:00 mark or so. Rounds 1 and 2 though, I rewatched them and they were extremely close. I would have scored both for Shogun, but I wouldn't exactly call it a robbery that the judges gave them to Machida.

Seriously, if you recorded it go back and watch the early rounds again. I think people are more outraged than they maybe ought to be because the final images of that fight were of Shogun dominating 4 and 5. Rounds 1-3 really were much closer.

In any case, Shogun looked fantastic last night. His performance definitely warranted a rematch, and I'm pretty confident he'll get it. Judging by Dana White's facial reaction to the decision I don't think we'll have to wait very long to see it either.

Somebody in vegas was about to lose a lot of money so he made a phone call. And if you think that statement is crazy then come up with a better explanation. Tell me.

ohiovol62 wrote:

Somebody in vegas was about to lose a lot of money so he made a phone call. And if you think that statement is crazy then come up with a better explanation. Tell me.

Better explanation: It was a close fight in the early rounds, the judges gave those rounds to Machida, questionable decisions are nothing new to any sport that employs judges.

There, no ridiculous conspiracy theories needed.

That's also not how Vegas works. They set lines to try to split the money coming in on any event to as close to 50/50 as possible. Vegas makes money no matter who wins fights, football games, basketball games, etc.

snd_dsgnr wrote:

ohiovol62 wrote:

Somebody in vegas was about to lose a lot of money so he made a phone call. And if you think that statement is crazy then come up with a better explanation. Tell me.

Better explanation: It was a close fight in the early rounds, the judges gave those rounds to Machida, questionable decisions are nothing new to any sport that employs judges.

There, no ridiculous conspiracy theories needed.

That's also not how Vegas works. They set lines to try to split the money coming in on any event to as close to 50/50 as possible. Vegas makes money no matter who wins fights, football games, basketball games, etc.

I don't think it ridiculous which were Machida's three rounds? All these analysts, MMA commentators and bloggers are saying the same thing. Nobody scored that fight for Machida. Meanwhile all three judges scored that fight for Machida? I would have been ok with a draw, but when I heard the announcer say unanimous decision, I thought well they gave it to Shogun. But when they said unanimous decision in favor of Machida my jaw dropped. Like I said I haven't read anyone's article saying Machida won. Dana even said Shogun won. Machida didn't even think he won, he had is head down. And the only time he was the aggressor was toward the end of R5 because he thought he had lost it. Like I said I know it's a CRAZY idea and I'm usually not one for conspiracy theories but I just can't add this up. JMO

Im very surprised how many people see this as a robbery. 1st 2 rounds were very close and traditionally the champ gets those rounds. Rua's biggest weapons was kicks to the legs and kicks to the body, but it seemed that with each of those kicks Lyoto was landing counter punches over the top. That seemed to be the whole fight. Most people liked Rua's kicks, but I thought the counter punches over the top were the more productive strikes.

But very close fight fought at a very high level. I def have to rewatch. perhaps my view will change.

ohiovol62 wrote:

snd_dsgnr wrote:

ohiovol62 wrote:

Somebody in vegas was about to lose a lot of money so he made a phone call. And if you think that statement is crazy then come up with a better explanation. Tell me.

Better explanation: It was a close fight in the early rounds, the judges gave those rounds to Machida, questionable decisions are nothing new to any sport that employs judges.

There, no ridiculous conspiracy theories needed.

That's also not how Vegas works. They set lines to try to split the money coming in on any event to as close to 50/50 as possible. Vegas makes money no matter who wins fights, football games, basketball games, etc.

I don't think it ridiculous which were Machida's three rounds? All these analysts, MMA commentators and bloggers are saying the same thing. Nobody scored that fight for Machida. Meanwhile all three judges scored that fight for Machida? I would have been ok with a draw, but when I heard the announcer say unanimous decision, I thought well they gave it to Shogun. But when they said unanimous decision in favor of Machida my jaw dropped. Like I said I haven't read anyone's article saying Machida won. Dana even said Shogun won. Machida didn't even think he won, he had is head down. And the only time he was the aggressor was toward the end of R5 because he thought he had lost it. Like I said I know it's a CRAZY idea and I'm usually not one for conspiracy theories but I just can't add this up. JMO

Conspiracy theories are pretty much always ridiculous. How exactly would a phone call have been made that would sway all three judges? How is such a scenario more likely than the judges having a different opinion, or the judges simply being incompetent?

Like I said, the first three rounds were much closer than people are acknowledging. I would have only scored round 3 in Machida's favor, but I can see how someone would go his way on 1 and 2.

captain organic wrote:

Im very surprised how many people see this as a robbery. 1st 2 rounds were very close and traditionally the champ gets those rounds. Rua's biggest weapons was kicks to the legs and kicks to the body, but it seemed that with each of those kicks Lyoto was landing counter punches over the top. That seemed to be the whole fight. Most people liked Rua's kicks, but I thought the counter punches over the top were the more productive strikes.

But very close fight fought at a very high level. I def have to rewatch. perhaps my view will change.

The first two rounds were close that is agreed but they weren't so close that they are given to the champ by default. Shogun was the aggressor and landed more strikes it seemed to me. We'll have to looks at the stats to make sure.