Lyota Machida Favored Over Mauricio Rua in UFC 104

NFL News - October 22nd, 2009 - Written by Scott

UFC 104 is set to take place on Saturday, October 24, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The featured fight will have Lyota "the Dragon" Machida against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Machida (15-0) is the light heavyweight champion and this will be his first title defense. Machida won the title after he dominated Rashad Evans. Rua has not been as impressive in the UFC as he was in PRIDE, but has been fighting well lately and is coming off back-to-back knockouts over Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman.

Machida comes into the fight as the favorite. He excels in his karate style of fighting. His first-round knockout over Thiago Silva led him to his fight with Evans, where won convincingly and knocked him down in the first round and closed the deal in the second. He is fantastic stand up fighter, but has shown he can be effective on the ground as well. The "Dragon" is a very patient fighter and waits for his opponents to make mistakes that he can capitalize on. He is not known as a power striker, but has been effective with spinning back kicks and leg sweeps.

Rua (18-3) is a very aggressive fighter and specializes in Muay Thai. He relishes on speed and power and loves to get inside to utilize these skills. His speed has slowed somewhat and he will probably try to stand up and match the style of Lyoto. Rua is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has training in wrestling and boxing. If he can get inside, he can be effective against Machida. He must be careful not to make mistakes as Machida is very good at using these to his advantage. Rua has had some big fights in his MMA career, but this will undoubtedly be his biggest one to date. How he competes and adapts against a fighter with a much different style will prove to be the difference in the fight.

Online Sportsbooks are a great place to find betting odds on all your favorite sporting events, such as UFC fights. Lyoto Machida is the -450 favorite to win the fight according to Betus Sportsbook. Mauricia Rua has his line set at +350. Rua must find a way to get Machida to the ground and must match the patience of the "Dragon" and not put himself in positions to make mistakes. Machida is the clear favorite in he fight, but Rua has shown his ability to fight well in big events.

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