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It wasn't too long ago that Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida was labeled as "boring" and only the most die hard MMA fans appreciated his unique style. Joe Rogan's constant use of the adjective "elusive" became something of a running joke for fans who saw it as a code word for Machida's running (often times away) fighting style.

That began to change when Machida knocked out Thiago Silva at UFC 94. It got even better for "The Dragon" when he destroyed the perpetually unpopular Rashad Evans to win the light heavyweight title.

In the run-up to UFC 104 it finally appeared that Machida was going to develop a strong fan following thanks to the back-to-back knockout victories plus the expected dominance of what Joe Rogan called the "Machida Era." But that all changed on Saturday night with his controversial decision victory over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. 

If anyone has checked out a MMA forum recently the headlines involving Machida aren't pretty. MMA Fanhouse and Cagewriter both attempt to encapsulate the tremendous blow back that Lyoto Machida is now facing.

Hell hath no fury as an MMA fan's scorn and right now MMA fans are infuriated with Machida for the perceived undeserved victory. 

In reality it isn't Lyoto's fault that the judges awarded him the decision. Yet that fact won't disinfect the bile being thrown Machida's way.

So what can Machida do to temper the outrage?

The tonic to cure the venom that now infects the MMA fan-base is simple, win and win big. A few dominating victories later and this episode will be forgotten.

After all, winning cures all.

UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun coverage