Machida vs. Rua may be a Blessing in Disguise for the UFC

A controversial decision victory for the current UFC light heavyweight champion may be a silver lining for the UFC and their recent skid of matchmaking woes.

Lyoto Machida defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in a controversial unanimous decision, in a fight that many observers felt Shogun won.

But for the UFC, they may have just found their Super Bowl main event.

Prior to UFC 104 the state of the 205lbs. division was not nearly as strong as it appeared several months ago. The sudden retirement of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson left Rashad Evans opponent-less and with Evans now facing Thiago Silva (two fighters that Lyoto Machida knocked out) facing each other at UFC 108 many thought that UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva, would be scrambling to find a paper contender for Machida who was the odds on favorite to defeat Rua. Not anymore.

An immediate rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua makes perfect sense for the UFC, Rua and fight fans. The only party who could be opposed to it could be Machida but luckily for fight fans he appears ready for a rematch.

"Whenever he wants, I'll try again," Machida said when asked if he'd be interested in giving Shogun an immediate rematch. "No problem."

[Update: Note by Zak Woods, 10/25/09 1:49 AM EDT ]

Dana White scored the bout for Shogun.

UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun coverage