Everything You Need to Know Before Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Meet Again at UFC 113

You're a busy guy, I get it. You work that forty hour a week job so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy some fights on the weekends. No worries, love, I got you covered. Here's everything you need to know leading into tonight's main event between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

ANALYSIS

Daniel Woirin's technical breakdown of Machida vs. Shogun
Riddum: "The Dragon" is known for his counters on leg kicks, especially with straight lefts. He knew that Shogun was coming into this fight with a great kicking game. Why couldn't he counter effectively in this particular fight?

Daniel Woirin: When I trained Lyoto Machida for Sokoudjou, I noticed that when Sokoudjou kicks, he stays right in front of his opponent. It was easier to counter him, since punches are faster than kicks. Against Shogun, it was different. He was side stepping while kicking, so he wouldn't stay in front of Lyoto, making the counters more difficult. Also there was something else, which is pretty unorthodox in Muay Thai: he was kicking with a closed guard, without extending his arm, a bit like they do in Savate. And that limited the openings for counters even more.

Shogun’s Coach: Machida Knows Karate Won’t Beat Muay Thai
"The antidote to punching is the good leg kick," Amado said. "The other athletes who Lyoto faced, they kicked but with their hands low, and Lyoto works on the body movements of his opponent. He studies and works on it. Machida works more with his hands and Shogun works with legs. Sometimes this exchange will be weighted because he will not find any (openings) and will only see Shogun’s legs working. On the third or fourth punch, Lyoto will realize that he is hitting Shogun’s defense and Shogun is always picking up (points). Shogun has a very strong game of legs. He can explore that part too, and this time it will come with much more desire to win. He will not wait to get started. He will apply this tactic and will come with everything to win the UFC belt."

UFC 113 Preview: Breaking Down the Chessmatch That Is Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 2

The Blueprint: Machida vs. Shogun 2
Through his first seven fights, the reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion did not lose a single round of competition. Then he ran into some guy named "Shogun."

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua II is UFC's Highest Level of Kickboxing Display

STORIES

UFC 113 Preview: Lyoto Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Meet in Light Heavyweight Title Rematch
In one of the most highly-anticipated battles among fight fans that we'll see this year, current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (16-0, 8-0 UFC) will once again step into the Octagon against 2005 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (18-4, 2-2 UFC) in a rematch of their hotly-debated, controversial championship title bout at UFC 104.

The Redemption of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
This weekend, Shogun has a chance to erase the past few years of his career and achieve the level of success most experts predicted he would have in 2007.

The Karate Kid, Part II
With an 18-month stretch of success in 2008-09, Lyoto Machida turned himself into the biggest anomaly in mixed martial arts: the "traditional" stylist who could excel against "practical" competition.

UFC 113 Preview: The Main Card

UFC star Lyoto Machida is just what Dana White is looking for (Requires ESPN Insider)
Which makes you wonder so many things. What is Lyoto Machida doing in a place like this? And then, could this man be the answer to all MMA questions? Could this 31-year-old with a Brazilian-Japanese heritage, a master technician with an archeologist's ability to unearth an opponent's weakness, be the bridge between the rowdy under-30 fan and that fan's still-skeptical dad? Could The Dragon be the kind of star who uplifts and transcends the sport?

INTERVIEWS

'Shogun' Rua Expects to Face Different Lyoto Machida at UFC 113

Lyoto Machida Takes Exception With Dana White's Comments at UFC 104

Shogun Working on New Strategy for Machida
"I don’t feel any pressure at all (to finish this next fight)," said Rua through his manager Eduardo Alonso’s translation. "My goal whenever I fight is to give my best performance. That’s the pressure I put on myself and the only pressure I put on myself. I don’t think about controversy or any thoughts on what happened, because I think this can only hinder an athlete."

UFC 113 Conference Call: The Classy & The Classless
[Machida] On the first fight with Rua – "After analyzing the fight and thinking about the fight, I still feel the judges made the right choice. I never underestimated Shogun. I knew he was a tough fighter. I never underestimate anybody. A fight is a fight and you never know what is going to happen until you start fighting."

[Shogun] On the first fight with Machida – "I think it was a controversial fight. Some people thought I won the fight and some people thought I lost. The proof that it was controversial is that rematch was set up immediately. I gave my all in that fight."

Machida: ‘I’m Prepared for the Worst’

Return of the Dragon: MMAmania.com UFC 113 interview exclusive with Lyoto Machida
Derek Bolender: Did your injured left hand hamper you in any way during your UFC 104 fight with Rua?

Lyoto Machida: My hand was injured from many years of training and fighting and it had been bothering me for some time, since before joining the UFC I think.

UFC 113 Preview: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua "For this fight again Machida, I plan to do the same..."

Shogun says fans made loss to Machida easier

An interview with Shotokan karate master Yoshizo Machida

MISCELLANEOUS

Lavigne Will Referee Machida-Rua Bout at UFC 113; Judges Named
The RACJ has selected Yves Lavigne, Quebec’s most experienced senior referee to oversee the bout in the cage. This comes as little surprise, as it was expected the commission would select from a trio of Lavigne, the notoriously shaky Philippe Chartier and the less experienced Marc-Andre Cote to assign the main event duty. The three judges scoring the bout will be Tony Weeks of Nevada, Sal D’Amato of Wisconsin, and Pasquale Procopio of Quebec.

Ed Soares May Take the Piss Out Machida's Victory Celebration, Should Lyoto Beat Shogun at UFC 113
MMAFighting.com reporter Ariel Helwani challenged the MMA manager today drink a cup of his own urine if his fighter, Lyoto Machida, retains his belt Saturday night in Montreal against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, which begs the question: Who is the winner in this bet? If Lyoto loses, Soares is off the hook for drinking his piss, but his fighter is out a title and a substantial amount of win bonus-related money.

On the flip side, if Machida wins, Ed is going to be the guy at the after party nobody wants to talk to because his breath smells like he drank his own piss, BECAUSE HE DID.