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Originally Published 3 months ago

A Judge's Defense of Lyoto Machida at UFC 104

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Posted By docedoce User Rank 5 UFC News
A Judge's Defense of Lyoto Machida at UFC 104

"First of all what you need to understand is that from where the judges are sitting, we get to see things that the fans at home may miss. Mauricio Rua was being aggressive but it wasn't effective aggressiveness which is what we as the judges look for when scoring a fight. The way I saw it, Lyoto was landing the more cleaner and damaging strikes throughout the fight - if you take a look at the judging criteria clean strikes are valued more-so than the quantity of strikes landed. Although Rua threw a lot of low kicks they were not as damaging as Lyotos diverse attack in the earlier rounds which is why I scored the first three rounds for Machida. You have to keep in mind we always the favour the fighter who is trying to finish the fight, and leg kicks certainly don't do that."

"When both fighters are engaged in a striking match what I always look for is the fighter who is being judicious, picking his spots, being accurate and landing the cleaner strikes which ultimately is what Lyoto did more effectively than Rua. Lyoto made Shogun come after him, he determined where the fight took place which in my opinion constitutes as effective Octagon control. I recognize the fact that Rua did have a few takedown attempts during the course of the fight however Lyoto defended them all successfully which counts as effective grappling in his favour, where as ununsuccessful takedown attempts are not scored at all. Therefore going by that criteria, I believe Lyoto won the fight clearly. I'm just glad the other judges on the panel saw it the same way and I'm sure the fans who understand the technicalities of the sport agree with the decision too."

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  • Posted By kk
    2 months ago

    wtf he said that by backing up lyoto controled the octagon... DOESN'T HE MEAN SHOGUN CONTROLED THE OCTAGON BECAUSE HIS AGGRESSION CAUSED MACHIDA TO MOVE BACK????
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    2 months ago

    title matches should not have rounds limits, ya, long fights but hey, we are paying to see someone actually WIN!
    Reply »
  • Posted By tony
    3 months ago
    the guy
    Did you hear the announcers the whole fight? Machida was rarely talked about for anything! Shogun this and shogun that...........
    Weak sauce judging
    Reply »
  • Posted By Joachim
    3 months ago

    I hope someone kicks him in the legs see if that doesn't finish fights, Shogun won that fight he out-struck machida, the only thing I could see is the missed takedowns but even then shogun wins.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Amscatt
    3 months ago
    Beating a dead Horses Arse.
    Yeah, I'm gonna jump in too. Cecil Peoples is a moron. The 2 points I want to make are...

    1: Moving backward when you are winning is called "being elusive". Moving backward when you are losing is called "running away". Ask Kalib Starns about that one. There is a fine line between the two. Machida has hung out on the good side of that line for so long that Cecil couldn't recognize when he was on the bad side of it.

    2:The following 3 links are to fights that were ended, if not totally dominated, by leg kicks. These were just off the top of my head while at work. I didn't have to dig to find examples.

    A - Bas Rutten VS. Rueben Villereal
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mzX_1Zcvcs

    B - Random Muay Thai VS. Boxer
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDjE4BywrE4

    C - Sakuraba Kazushi VS. Vitor Belfort
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4gg82_kazushi-sakuraba-vs-vitor-belfort-h_extreme

    In conclusion... someone who does construction and trains non professionally shouldn't be pointing out crap like this to a person who's job it is to judge high stakes MMA fights. Find a new line of work Cecil.
    Reply »
  • Posted By jk
    3 months ago

    you suck cecil peoples. Machida got beat up and lost the fight. Shogun had ring control almost the whole fight not machida. How can you be dictating were the fight happens when your running instead of fighting. **** the machida era. Its boring as hell
    Reply »
  • Posted By Ichokepeople
    3 months ago
    if this were in the street, shogun woulda kept battering his legs until he literally fell over
    If it had been in the street there would be no rules and if it went more than 2 or 3 minutes would be ridiculous. There would be no pacing and Machida could punch him in the throat. MMA is as close to a real fight as you can get but it is still a sport.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Why would he need all that defense, if it was such a right decision?

    I guess it wasn't.....
    Reply »
  • Posted By JOHN
    3 months ago
    SURE
    YOU ARE CRAZY SHOGUN WON THAT FIGHT HANDS DOWN AND THOSE LEG KICKS WERE DEVASTATING
    Reply »
  • Posted By |\|()|\|@|\|()|\|
    3 months ago

    i changed my mind, having ''ringside'' seats means nothing special...in fact may be even more limited than viewers perspective,plus you are looking through the black fencing around the cage whereas the viewers are not....i don't feel dumb anymore either.....have a question tho...do the judges get monitors to view/review fight from?if not,that is very strange....joe blogun & mike moldburg get monitors....the judges def. should have them because of the fact that ONLY have one limited view.....(ps, if you vote weak for this you are pretty sharp)
    Reply »
  • Posted By |\|()|\|@|\|()|\|
    3 months ago

    yeah,i feel pretty dumb now,thanks cecil....also had time to think and see fight again and i think one of the reasons people feel the way they do, is because rua seemed to throw lyoto off a bit,he looked more like the aggressor, AND the fact that he went all 5 w/out taking serious damage.....the closest fight for the dragon, just that alone makes shogun look very good....but i have to agree w/ cecil,thats not enough.....did they set a date for a re-match yet?? j/k....can't wait for it tho(or for ufc 105 +ufc 108)
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    just read the guys 4 posts above he too is on the button ur so facking right man shogun took away everything machida needed to win the fight his speed and that legendry stance but he still loses yea... you guys know mma way better than the thousands of fans booing at the end right? yea 3 guys are right and the other idk how many thousands are wrong... piss off!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    great use of the word fack there i am pro! and right!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    hey fack that bullshit. shogun wasnt effective eh? yea thats why machidas facking ribbs where sizzling red and his movment speed halfed yea fack you ya bunch of assholes.. what a facking lame excuse. we watch the fight from the best angles thats what the camera crue in the back room are for. to give us the best view and we all saw what clearly happend. the new champ got robbed of everything he facking worked for. facking bastards!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Tito is the MMA God
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    for whoever said that forrest only one because he affected rampage's ability to fight his fight or whatever, as in, took away mobility and power etc... are you dumb? what do you think he did to lyoto? biggest problem anyone is presented with him is his stance, south paw , speed , and power... he ****ed up the first 2, resulting in the 3rd being gone, and much less of the 4th....... the way i see it, when u fight and it goes to decision, it should be decided at THAT point, not the first round... how many fighters get robbed cuz they get tagged in rd 1 but fight their way back from it (showing in itself some great ability, cause taking a punch is as important as giving one sometimes).. if this were in the street, shogun woulda kept battering his legs until he literally fell over, or once lyoto couldnt defend the takedowns anymore with no spring in his step he could taken him down and you know from there shogun was gonna win, part of the problem is to beat a machida it takes more time than the ufc system permits.... he can back out and circle out all day and never risk anything and will never lose in this current system, it's pathetic... shogun won for sure.. he sometimes dashed like 4-5 steps to catch him and the guy just runs... at one point lyoto hit shogun, shogun backed into cage and i thought for a split second oh they might exchange.. no no lyoto jumped away like a kangaroo
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    cecil is a shitty judge for years finally took a main event decision to have dana do soemthing about it hopefully get some better judges
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    You guys talking about "if there would have been more rounds shogun would have had him" are dense. There are no more rounds. Nor could there have ever been. It was the end of the fight! Time expired! Your boy Shogun couldnt get it done in 25 min. Does anyone else ever fear for the future of our civilization?
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago
    Bullshit.
    Ridiculous. Not only did Rua land more strikes, he displayed more octagon control and inflicted more damage.

    There is no way around it. You did not need to be ring-side to see that Shogun should have won this fight.
    Reply »
  • Posted By jhon
    3 months ago
    yea right.
    are you serious? shoguns attacks werent very efective? did he not see machida in the last round. 1 or 2 more rounds and he would have been knocked out!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    dont watch ufc then warch pride ****keerr
    Reply »
  • Posted By toni
    3 months ago

    Lyoto controling the octagon for running around in japan you gona get yelow card for this you caant ceep runing for 5 rounds he is tere to fight not for runing
    Reply »
  • Posted By Bruiser
    3 months ago

    He just dosent want to admit he was paying his psp wile the fight was going on
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    except from Dana Brown, Who can say that Lyoto did lose the fight ????

    It was all up to Rua to go forward, puch the pace and get this title, which he did not.

    Lyoto is a real mixed martial artist, not a brawler, not a sport-man...
    Reply »
  • Posted By smart
    3 months ago

    I already watched the fight 3 times with no volume and scored as follows:

    1 rd: 10-9 machida
    2 rd: 10-9 machida
    3 rd: 10-9 machida
    4 rd: 10-9 rua
    5 rd: 10-9 rua
    final 48-47
    Shogun's strategy was NOT enough to win
    No takedowns from Rua
    Rua didn´t BEAT the champ to BE the champion!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    totaly agree with the judge
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Cecil Peoples is terrible. If you defend him then why is he always surrounded by controversy. Google it, he sucks.
    Reply »
  • Posted By yo mama
    3 months ago

    if the match continued another round or two machida would have been out of luck
    Reply »
  • Posted By Cassuisclay
    3 months ago
    BullCrap
    Thats a bunch of Bull, The Rampage fight VS Forest Griffin They gave the decision to Forest based on the Leg kicks Rampage was trying to finish the fight and the only shots Forest was landing was leg kicks but they gave the decision to Forest. Not to mention Quinton Rampage Jackson Was the champion at the time. ITs all a double standard, We see it in boxing all the time. The more popular the UFC gets and the more fights go down to the wired there are going to be many more contreversal decisions. I believe the referee's along with everybody else was in aww AT MACHIDAS STYLE AND VICTORIES the refs also became fans and the voted for thier favorite to win plain and simple. Listen to machida's intro "the reining champion" but this was his first tittle defense, that called foreshadowing and if you keep up with UFC News and other stuff they already started to look past Rua before the night of the fight. It was a robery flat out cause beside low kicks he was also landing effective punches and if those legs kicks werent effective why was Machidas corner icing them (legs) down after damn near every round i havent seen them do that in any other machida fight. Look at each fighters response at the end of the fight one fighter had a look of victory (Rua) and another a look of defeat (machida) its so obvious.
    Reply »
  • Posted By thor
    3 months ago

    wtf machida made shogun go after him and determinated where the fight goes on. This is getting ridicolus!
    Reply »
  • Posted By MMAJAY
    3 months ago

    Yes People's and Hamilton have made some shady choices in the past, but the fact all 3 judges scored the fight the same ( end score, not round by round) means maybe us the fans need to educate ourselves with the judging protocol.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    BLA BLA BLA YOU A-S-S-H-O-L-E!!!! WISH YOU ALL CAN COME AND READ THIS BLOG SO YOU WILL SEE HOW WE ARE ABOUT IT....F-U-C-K-E-R-S!!!! YOU KNOW THAT SHOGUN WON THAT FIGHT!!!
    Reply »
  • Posted By MIke
    3 months ago

    "You have to keep in mind we always the favour the fighter who is trying to finish the fight, and leg kicks certainly don't do that."

    What the hell....how can a legitimate MMA judge even say something like that? Hell....let's not even score leg kicks.....is that where we are going with this sport via judges......ask Kung le if leg kicks can finish a fight.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Ichokepeople
    3 months ago
    so how do you explain machida looking more beat then shogun?
    Shogun had perfect knuckle imprints in two places on his forehead and his ribs were almost as red as Machida's. He took plenty of damage. Plus, some people just show damage more than others. I had my jaw broken in two places and never showed any bruising but believe me I took damage ;)
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    AND STILL UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION LYOTO "THE DRAGON" MACHIDA!
    Reply »
  • Posted By JUSTICE for SHOGUN
    3 months ago

    Shogun won that clearly.

    Machida's performance sucks!!
    Reply »
  • Posted By monstruito
    3 months ago

    GETOVERIT really wants his PS3 but remember, quality over quantity. Your novel scores a 6 while "takes it up the chili hole" scores one million, catch my drift?
    Reply »
  • Posted By PAUL
    3 months ago
    BULLSHIT
    THAT'S A ****IN COP OUT AND YOU KNOW IT !!!! IF THAT WERE THE CASE THERE WOULD BE MANY BAD DESITIONS . WORSE DESITION EVER IN THE UFC BY FAR...**** YOU
    Reply »
  • Posted By Mastertahj
    3 months ago

    I think Rua won the fight too but all of these people getting so worked up about bribes and faking are really just trying to seem smart about the fight game when they don't have any real clue about the nuances of fighting at all.

    No matter how you slice it, it was a tough, very close, technical fight not some huge blowout. It is arguable and reasonable that the judges from their non-multicamera, non- slo mo replay positions would score this bout in the manner that they have.

    Furthermore, these judges are so entrenched in the workings of the state athletic commission and all the endemic, long standing corruption that that entails, not to mention old world (pre-mma) values regarding combat sports, that it is the height of innocence to try and blame the UFC for conspiracy theories or whatever. It just doesn't jibe with the facts...

    Again, my gut says Rua won but he certainly did not win so clearly as to warrant an investigation or to sour the entire character of everyone involved.

    Everyone needs to relax on the roid rage.....
    Reply »
  • Posted By 511pini
    3 months ago

    bullshit!! effectiv he sey not only shogan scored more strikes du to kicks and punches not only dragon couldnt walk his lip was bleeding his face ware brused his ribs blue and he gused out in the 5 round and shogan didnt hed any marks on him so as peinfull as it is machida lost this one no metter what any one seys and the judge is deffending his job not his scoring!!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    I don't think Cecil ever fought MMA before......
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Lyoto was bleeding out of his mouth, out of his nose, had a cut lip, another cut on his forehead!

    He couldn't walk after the fight!

    He had cracked ribs!

    Shogun had a single bruise on his head from a head butt, and you call Lyoto more effective?

    Yeah right, lucky for you Cecil, there are idiots who believe everything everybody says in public!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Over five hundred sharp votes for a Shogun win!

    Enough said! To all you Lyoto-nuthuggers: You just got owned!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Dionysus91
    3 months ago

    Alright lets troll the people who really try and give me a free PS3. SHARP ME!
    Reply »
  • Posted By kohansen
    3 months ago

    so is he sayin 1000's of fans and ufc fighters are wrong? well shogun knows he'll have to press the fight through out now. I think the next fight will be alot better
    Reply »
  • Posted By Nathan
    3 months ago

    It was a shit fight. But Rua did more damage and was still looking good the last round. This is not ****n boxing.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    so how do you explain machida looking more beat then shogun?
    Reply »
  • Posted By bo
    3 months ago

    The fight was pretty close, however I would give the win to shogun. For the leg kicks, he landed more therefore was more aggressive in a fight that close, that has to give you the edge.

    Rua pressed the action while machida was trying to move away. You cant tell me those leg kicks didnt effect lyoto, lyotos style is move, move, jump in strike and bounce out, therefore he couldnt impliment his game plan and played into Ruas fight.

    The judge clearly thought machida not engaging was octagon control? But he never really mounted a clear offense or gameplan. I feel if he didnt defend the belt good enough he should lose. Why keep the belt if your performance was no where near as good as his 3 fights leading up to this, as oppose to Ruas 3 fights leading up to this, he only improved and was able to control machida from exploding.

    They really need new judges
    Reply »
  • Posted By KOOP
    3 months ago

    CECIL IS A BOXING JUDGE AND IN MY OPINOIN DOES NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THE GAME BY A FEW OF THE THINGS HE SAID FIRST HE SAYS HE GAVE MACHIDA OCTAGON CONTROL. BULL SHOGUN WAS PRESSING WITH TACTICAL STRIKES TO THE BODY AND LEGS SHOGUN DICTATED THE FIGHT. CECIL ALSO SAYS THAT MACHIDA DEFENDED SHOGUNS TAKEDOWN ATTEPMTS AND THEREFORE GAVE MACHIDA THE GRAPPLING EDGE. THAT IS LIKE SAYING YOU SHOULD GIVE POINTS TO THE GUY DEFENDING AN ARM BAR RATHER THAN THE GUY GIVING THE ARM BAR. POINTS SHOULD ALWAYS GO TO THE GUY TRYING TO INFLICT OR TAKEDOWN NOT THE GUY DEFENDING
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Sorry but that judge is an idiot. Leg kicks don't finish fights? Clearly this person has never been leg kicked. Leg kicks have finished many fights and shut fighters down which is exactly what happened to Machida. The judge thought the leg kicks were not damaging? They completely shut Machida's game down. This is MMA, boxing for god's sake. Moron judge.
    Reply »
  • Posted By KILLA KD
    3 months ago
    B/S
    MAN GET OUTTA HERE MACHIDA FINALLY LOSES ROUNDS SHOGUN DID MORE DAMAGE THEN NE 1 DID TO MACHIDA THEY TOOK THT BELT FOR SHOGUN
    Reply »
  • Posted By Junie Browning
    3 months ago

    Ill ****ing kill your whole family cecil!!!!! ahhhh u mother ****er ill murder you!!!! ahhH!!HH!!!!!!!!
    Reply »
  • Posted By GETOVERIT
    3 months ago

    Yeah, Machida might've been limping at the end, but that was at the END of the fight. He was still avoiding and countering when he could. Griffin's kicks clearly disabled Rampage's attacks. Griffin was more effective with his kicks than Rua, let's be honest; as pulverising as they were, Machida countered almost EVERY kick with a far more powerful knee to the stomach, or a 3-4 hit combo. Again, this is something that has already been said on other posts, but being that people like to bring up the kicks STILL, i feel like I should bring it up...AGAIN.
    Reply »
  • Posted By GETOVERIT
    3 months ago

    I like that, for the most part, people who believe Machida won are giving valid points and at the very least trying to articulate WHY they think he won. Rather than SOME (not all) of Shogun supporters, who instead of attacking the issue at hand, are attacking Machida supporters for their stance. Agree to disagree, but the fight was extrememly close, and the man won. Leave it alone. This judge had tried to articulate why and how he judged the fight....DEAL WITH IT!!! Be lucky that we're getting another bout, and i'm certain there will be a more definitive winner. Hopefully Machida, but if Shogun wins...then **** it. I like Shogun too. But he lost.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    retarded! By the end, Lyoto could barely walk due to leg kicks. If the fight had one more round, he would have been totally ****ed. Stupid criteria for a judge, who can't distinguish effective from ineffective strikes. Did'n't Forest beat Rampage by leg kicks?
    We should consider that fight as a valuable precedent.


    No Forrest used leg kicks to cripple rampage but had a variation of strikes. When u hear "forrest destroye rampage with leg kicks" he used leg kicks to take away rampages power and movement and dismantled him from there, u cannot compare that fight to this fight at all
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Machida won what he was trying to do was beat him at his own game hitting with knees come on people machida won that fight. and trust me if they have a rematch machida is going to knock him out in the first round or second round.
    Reply »
  • Posted By A.SILVA BEST P4P
    3 months ago
    u serious, IS THIS A JOKE.
    u guys with your weak ass points of view of lyota winning is pathetic.u shouldnt even consider yourself mma fans. joe and mike were even calling it for shogun on top. joe knows a hell of a lot more than u. if shogun would have went with the machida's approach they would have stood and stared at each other.shogun pushed the action so there would actually b a fight. just cuz its machida's plan to ran away(like a girl) than look for a lucky punch, doesnt make him gain octogon control or points.if he doesnt capitalize it on means exactally that.....he's running away.(btw in the octogon, running away doesnt mean u have to be turning your back, only means your not fightin).with the few graze punches and shots machida did land, shogun kept pressing and countering.(i.e., end of 3rd was machida's only few seconds of good performance yet shogun still countered).machida's punches did nothing to him. try this math problem...count strikes each one landed+count clean ones+ power of those shots+shogun wanting to actually fight, but having to make it happen by chasing that scared little girl around the ring. answer will= shogun easy victory. do your f'n homework and learn wat REAL mma is before stating such incompetent comments. then go back to watchin your "will and grace" or "american idol" reruns.leave mma to ones that understand the sport.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Machida was not only avoiding as usual, he was clearly running away from his aggressor; the only thigs he did well was some counter knees and takedown defense, didn't you all see his face and his red belly at the end?Shogun was Ok and Machida knows he has lost.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Agreed, Shogun should have and probably could have finished him in the fifth.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    the leg kicks really only showed any effect in the fifth round. by this time the damage done was due to an accumulation of kicks over the first four rounds, not damage done in a significant amount in any specific round. therefore you dumb fuks should realize that ufc is scored on a round to round basis and not who racked up the most damage overall. if shogun had been able to beat the fuk out of machida in the 4th and 5th rounds because his pace slowed down and was able to score a couple of 10-8 rounds, he would have won
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    JUST SHOWS YOU, MACHIDA GOT FUKED , thats why they banned him from contact trianing GAME OVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he took more damage
    Reply »
  • Posted By ClosetCasey
    3 months ago

    i definitely agree with the judges, how many fights do you see ended by leg kicks, two maybe, im sure Lyoto can take getting kicked in the legs all day
    Reply »
  • Posted By Badboy
    3 months ago
    Fuck Cecil
    Cecil was one of the worst ref's ever, now he's one of the worst judges ever.
    He shouldn't get involved in MMA anymore. He should just let it go
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Well put for the judges.. Sorry, but Machida didn't get rob. This is just becoming a big ****ing deal when it shouldn't be. and now going to be a rematch so Dana White can have more money.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    well guess what you suck cecil. I bet if you saw machidas leg today you would understand how devasting those leg kicks are it probably looks like your face
    Reply »
  • Posted By ryanjp
    3 months ago

    I agree, Lyoto did just that little better to win. Shogun had a great fight, don't get me wrong. Best I have seen handling Lyoto. But Lyoto won and I would love to see a rematch because they were so close in skill.
    They have been 2 of my favorite fighters for awhile so its cool to see them go at it.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    all fight shogun had to chase lyoto which puts that into favor of lyoto having octagon control because it was forcing shogun to change his point of attack in lyotos favor, the fight always went where lyoto wanted it to go by either avoiding attacks or circling shogun, just because he is backing up doesnt mean he is losing octagon control he is just bettering his own position
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    i agree 100. thanks for the breakdown for the dumbasses out there.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    All I am saying is any time you give up ground to avoid getting hurt that is loosing octagon control to avoid getting hurt. This judge has that pegged as octagon control which is bullshit. It is the opposite. If you don't like that either a) get the rule changed so octagon control is irrelevant or b) make the other guy back up to avoid getting hurt.
    Reply »
  • Posted By grimaxer
    3 months ago

    absolutely agree with the post about it being too close for all this outrage. i can see how people would think either fighter won, but saying one got destroyed is a joke. also, leg kicks are used to weaken ur opponent and create opportunities to finish the fight by other means. yea shogun landed a ton of leg kicks, but he never put them to any use. lyoto looked pretty beat up, but he was moving fine and if he wasn't then shogun should have capitalized on it.
    Reply »
  • Posted By GETOVERIT
    3 months ago

    I meant 'his back WASN"T turned once'...sorry
    Reply »
  • Posted By GETOVERIT
    3 months ago

    I like how people say Lyoto was running away. Really? His back was turned once. He knew how to space himself, and when you AVOID being hit. Don't be mad 'cause he avoided Shogun's attacks. What do you expect? For him to block with his face? LMAO get the **** outta here....run away? Whatever dude...
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    "Lyoto made Shogun come after him, he determined where the fight took place which in my opinion constitutes as effective Octagon control"

    This made me LOLWHAt? The guy backing up and running away is controling the octagon because he decides where they fight? That is bullshit.
    Reply »
  • Posted By GETOVERIT
    3 months ago
    Kevin Lole article on the unfair reaction to the Machida verdict
    I’ve watched the replay of the Lyoto Machida-Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title four times since seeing it live Saturday at UFC 104 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

    I saw it twice on the computer and twice on the 60-inch plasma. I saw it twice with the sound on, listening to the commentary of announcers Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, and I’ve seen it twice with the sound off.

    And each time I’ve seen it, I’ve come to the same conclusion: This was an excruciatingly close fight that either man could have won.

    Judges Nelson Hamilton, Cecil Peoples and Marcos Rosales gave Machida a unanimous decision, each scoring it 48-47. The difference in the fight is how Rounds 1 and 4 were scored.

    More From Kevin IoleY! exclusive: Illness forces Lesnar postponement Oct 26, 2009 'Shogun' has no one to blame but himself Oct 25, 2009 ADVERTISEMENT

    Rosales and Peoples gave Machida the first round, while Hamilton gave it to Rua. And they gave the fourth round to Rua, while Hamilton gave that one to Machida. All three agreed that Machida won Rounds 2 and 3 and Rua took Round 5.

    I gave Rua Rounds 1, 4 and 5 and Machida Rounds 2 and 3. And while nothing I’ve seen in watching the replay over and over has convinced me to change my verdict, I’m also perplexed by the outrage over the verdict.

    There have been a lot of decisions a lot worse than this one that haven’t gotten a 10th of the reaction.

    UFC president Dana White, who said he gave Rounds 2 and 3 to Machida and 4 and 5 to Rua, felt Rua won despite saying the first round was too close to call. He wants to make a rematch as quickly as possible, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to meet until late winter/early spring.

    Machida was given a medical suspension after the fight from the California State Athletic Commission, banning him from having contact in training for 60 days. That means he won’t be able to begin training in earnest until Christmas Eve.

    He could fight earlier if he is cleared by a doctor, but if not, it makes March look like the most likely month.

    If a doctor doesn’t waive the 60-day no-contact suspension and Machida took an eight-week training camp starting on Dec. 24, he wouldn’t be prepared to fight until late February. The UFC could make Machida-Rua II the main event of the planned show on Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia, but a more likely scenario is the fight will be pushed back until March or later unless he requests and receives permission from a commission doctor to fight sooner.

    I’ll get to a mailbag filled with questions and comments on the Machida-Rua bout as well as Brock Lesnar’s decision to postpone his heavyweight title fight with Shane Carwin until sometime early next year because of the flu. But before I do, I ask that you follow me on Twitter And with that, let’s get to the mailbag:


    MACHIDA-RUA THOUGHTS
    Amazing fight with Machida and Shogun. I loved the technical battle between the fighters. The five-round battle was amazing. I know there is controversy regarding the outcome, but after watching the fight three times, I would give Rounds 1, 2 and 3 to Machida and Rounds 4 and 5 to Shogun. The first three rounds were very close, so it could have gone either way. I’m tired of the outrage from the media saying Shogun destroyed Machida etc. I’m a true fan of both of these fighters and couldn’t have asked for a better fight.

    Brian
    San Jose, Calif.

    Anyone who thinks Shogun “destroyed” Machida is kidding themselves. I accept anyone who thinks Shogun won, as I did, and I have no argument with anyone who believes Machida deserved the decision. In close fights, there is plenty to debate. And this was as close a fight as one can get.




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    In your column about the fight, you say that “Fans, who are distracted by other things, tend to look away from the action for a split second or two several times in a fight, whether it be to talk to a friend, grab a snack or gesticulate after a big blow.” I think you are thinking of sports fans (baseball, for example) and not MMA fans in the seats. I think fans react differently in an MMA fight versus other sporting events. I agree that at maybe a baseball game if there were a big play (like a home run) people would celebrate/gesture without missing much action since there is naturally a pause in the game. However, at least for me, when a big blow lands at a MMA event, people jump to their feet and pay more attention to the fight. In MMA big blows don’t end things and are often followed up with fight-ending action, so people tend to focus more to see where things go. Also, you are assuming that everyone in the stands are doing these things at the exact same times and doing them so often within a 25-minute fight that they are missing a lot of things.

    Mark
    Los Angeles

    Mark, I’ve covered fights, both boxing and MMA, for well over 20 years. And I can tell you that it’s been my experience that fans (and the media, frequently) don’t pay attention and don’t maintain the same concentration that judges do. And in a fight like Machida-Rua, in which the margin is so narrow, looking away even once in a round could be enough to change the way one sees it.




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Your point about Rua not pressing the action in the last two rounds being the fault of his corner is moot because he won the fourth round on two of the three judges’ cards and took the fifth on all three. So, he won those rounds anyway. Each round is its own entity and is scored based on the action those rounds and in the last two rounds Rua won. If the fight was scored on the overall fight (like in PRIDE) Shogun would have won the fight. So you can make up some line about it being the corner’s fault for misleading Shogun, but the truth is the judges were wrong.

    David G.
    Wisconsin

    David, I think Rua could have stopped Machida in the fifth round had he pressed the action. He won the round, but he conceded he didn’t push because he thought he was ahead. Had he done so, he may have gotten the stoppage. As for scoring the overall fight, here is the problem: That type of system almost always favors the fighter who is performing better at the end. And that’s not fair. In the NFL, the games a team wins in September count as much toward its playoff position as do the wins it posts in December. But if we score the overall fight, the fighter at the end is going to get too much of a benefit.




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    On behalf of every combat sports official in the world, I offer you a heartfelt thank you for your recent article, “Shogun has no one to blame but himself.” In my officials clinics, I always express that, “There are only three people in the room who 100 percent of the time are committing 100 percent of their energy and focus to evaluating the relative effectiveness of each fighter according to the established criteria … (and) everyone else has other agendas.” In this case we’re talking about three of the most experienced officials in the sport, who delivered a unanimous decision. If there is room for criticism, we should target an ineffective scoring system that forces judges to reward fighters equally for unequal performances.

    Cory Schafer, ISKA President
    Gainesville, Fla.

    I believe one thing that should be changed with the 10-point must system is that judges should be encouraged, not discouraged, to score more 10-10 rounds and to also score more 10-8 and 10-7 rounds. That is a way of differentiating between a round in which the margin between them is very slim and rounds in which one man clearly is superior.




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I just wanted to say I liked your article about the Machida-Rua match. I don’t usually agree with a lot of the articles you write, but I believe you were spot on in this one. Rua should be furious with his corner right now. He was not pressing the action enough due to the fact that his corner kept telling him he was winning the fight. What they should have been telling him is “You can win this fight if you keep pressing the action!” I believe it is possible to retain one’s title by “playing it safe,” but it is not always possible for a challenger to take a title by “playing it safe.”

    Joshua Dolan
    Longmont, Colo.

    The benefit the champion gets in a fight is that he/she retains the title with a draw. That’s it. But had Shogun pushed in the fifth round, I believe he would have stopped Lyoto and won the championship.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    So the judging wad fixed to ensure ppl didnt get paid? Does cecil work for betting sites now? lol

    I know the UFC didnt fixed it becuz if the had Shogun win he could fight Silva.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    lyoto didnt land as much leg kicks as shogun, took more damage than shogun, got hit harder then shogun did, wasnt as aggresive as shogun..... cecil peoples didnt ''own'' us, he was also judging the hamil bisping fight, which hamil clearly won. cecil is a shitty judge and was probably also biased for this fight because of the large gap in betting odds for this fight.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Mar
    3 months ago
    Your judgement and reality don't match
    At the end of the fight It was obvious that Machida took much more damage than Shogun. Where did he get that, at his corner between rounds? If your criteria don't match reality you change your criteria, you don't rob a fight!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    The guy who talks about Rampage's fight..

    If Lyoto was so jacked up with his leg.. why couldn't Shogun finish him?

    Rampage got his leg jacked.. and he couldn't fight his style anymore and he was exposed to devastating shots.. I did not see that in the Shogun fight.

    I am a fan of both Shogun and Lyoto.. but face it.. we don't always agree with the judges.. but they are only there to watch the technicallity of the fight.. we watched the fight from an entertainment prospective..

    Shogun was more entertaining only because we thought Lyoto would KO him in the first round.. but he survived.. he was the underdog.. everyone wants to see the person that was counted out to win..

    I think it was very close.. but in my opinion Lyoto won.. and Rogain.. and Goldfag.. are totally unprofessional for the crap they pulled.. I rewatched the fight.. and every clean punch Lyoto landed was not highlighted..
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    doesnt mean shogun shouldn't have still won!!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    lyoto could walk he was fine u twat!
    Reply »
  • Posted By Gdlt34
    3 months ago

    You can tell this judge and hellen keller have got something in common.


    Blind Motherfuker.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    If it were him in there taking those leg kicks, he might change his mind about who was doing more damage.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Gabriel
    3 months ago

    this guy takes it up the chilli ring.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    This guy is a boxing judge
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    retarded! By the end, Lyoto could barely walk due to leg kicks. If the fight had one more round, he would have been totally ****ed. Stupid criteria for a judge, who can't distinguish effective from ineffective strikes. Did'n't Forest beat Rampage by leg kicks?
    We should consider that fight as a valuable precedent.
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Cecil peeples just owned us.....
    Reply »
  • Posted By Brett2208
    3 months ago

    **** ya.
    that judge is right
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Yes welcome to the machida era !
    Reply »
  • Posted By Guest
    3 months ago

    Yea Baby Yea
    Reply »
  • Posted By emaxp2004
    3 months ago

    Well you can see what hes saying quality over quantity.
    Reply »

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