This is the third in a series of reviews I'm doing for UFC 113. Check out part one where I take an in-depth look at Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione and part two where I tackle Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley.
The next fight I’m going to review is the main event of the evening: The Dragon vs. The Shogun.
Which is the greater force to be reckoned with? Last time around, the judges said that The Dragon was more powerful, but fans all over said that it was The Shogun. This time, things would be more decisive.
Like the first two matchups I reviewed, the main event revealed some surprises of its own. I predicted that Lyoto would once again win, but that match would still be extremely close, basically more or less a repeat of the last affair. I figured this would be the case since so little time had passed between the matches and that both fighters would still be fighting at their peak. Both warriors are extremely talented and athletic, with excellent camps to back them up. I figured if one camp would create a perfect a counter strategy with the previous fight in mind, the other camp would do exactly the same, cancelling each other out and resulting in basically the same deal.
But nothing could have been farther from the truth. The match was quick; extremely quick. And The Shogun slew The Dragon with 1: 25 left in the very first round. Rua drops Machida with a right hook and immediately capitalizes. He knocks him out via ground and pound and becomes the new, undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Wow. Completely blew my mind, as my favored fighter was defeated so quickly and decisively. I’ve all respect for Rua, though. Like I mentioned, I thought this fight would still be very close, so it could have gone to either man if the chance arose. Well, Shogun was offered the chance and he grabbed as quickly and as aggressively as he could. Bravo, Shogun. Bravo.
