then who the hell BESIDES rua could give machida a run for his money..rashad and rampage cant, this is my opinion rampage has better boxing and slams but rashad deffinently has the power advantage and hes also quicker then rampage, i heard 4 some reason that rampage wouldnt fight machida and i really dont think rashad wants a rematch anytime soon so that leaves rua which would b a really good fight…id like 2 c rashad start workin on his ground game and his kicks then take a rematch with machida

HAL…..your completely..RETARDED im not sayin at all that fedor is the best pound 4 pound fighter, but ive seen alot of his fights…killed tim silvia with ease(which isnt sayin a whole lot) and pretty well the only punch he threw on arlovski put him on his face..LITERALLY and he IS for sure 1 of, if not THE BEST armbar practitioners there ever will b…brocks overated mir will make him tap again and so would fedor the only ppl i think would make a good match 4 fedor would b mir…i also think cain velasquez will b a really great fighter once he gets some more experience

ur funny..machida would knock him out first round not 2 mention since forrest is gonna put him in his place

then who? Rampage?…..He beat an old Chuck too

fuck yea! that’s what I’m saying Pride 2005! I do not understand the hatred of Shogun he’s a young dude and made a mess of Rampage. So why is everyone saying Rampage? I’m at a loss…

Did you guys forget. Shogun beat the shit out of Rampage in Pride in round one. So why is everyone picking Rampage on this one. Rampage is a prick who threw extra hits on Silva after he was knocked out probably because he was embarrassed after being knocked out cold by Silva….twice in Pride. I believe Rashad is better than Rampage and he was out technique by Machida. Shogun’s not gonna beat Machida, but he has a better chance than Rashad who has a giant head for a target.

Shogun would fucking destroy Griffin if he were in shape and anyone else in the LHW division EXCEPT for machida. seriously whats with all the shogun hatred? lets see how you utilize youre muay thai and bjj with shitty blown out knees, fighting with those kinds of injuries alone proves he is world class, if his record didnt already speak for itself. Dana white knew he could hype the ‘pride fighters’ are pussies angle by getting someone who got sidelined for over a year and a half (with no real cardio training) to fight Forrest but before he got tired he was dominating that fight, imagine what he would do at 100%. In the coleman fight there were lots of times he could have finished if he had the energy, he’d have stood no chance either normally. Then Shogun knocks Liddell the fuck out in devastating fashion and no one is conviced even though they thought he would get raped, but Rashad gets credit? I feel like Rua still needs a couple of fights to get a shot but who else is more deserving? Who else is unpredictable and versatile enough in that whole fucking division to give machida any trouble? not fuckin keith jardine. I think if Rua brings it this will be a good fight and with such a vast skill set I have no idea why someone would count him out. and for anyone that thinks rampage is more suited for the job, does anyone remember the fight round of the pride 2005 middle weight grand prix?

I AGREE WITH YOU GOOG, RUA DOES NOT DESERVE ANYTHING CLOSE TO A TITLE FIGHT RIGHT NOW.

Seriously, guys… Rua loses to Forrest and beats an old chuck…. now you say he’s the ONLY guy who can possibly match up with Machida, who’s achieved God-status faster than if he’d won it from a scratch off ticket. None of you would have been saying Rua even deserves a match in the week after the Forrest fight. I love the [lack of] thought process here. Without really doing shit, Rua is the man to beat Machida. Yeah, that makes sense.

The word has become so incredibly over used that I die a little inside every time I see the word epic.. :’(

yessss after Shogun beats Machida it will just be 1 step closer to a PRIDE re-match between Rampage and Shogun. Fucking epic.

I know he’s a total noob, but for an awkward style vs awkward style match up Machida vs Jon Jones would be awesome.

first title shot should be Rampage, but he doesn’t want it. I think he’s a pussy who knows he can’t beat Machida and he’s hoping someone else does it first so he has a chance at winning a title fight. IF Shogun has his shit together again he is the only one who has a chance right now at Machida. However the IF is yet to be seen. Rampage is a clown and want to watch Machida smash him but I geuss that is not going to happen now.

Shogun will make for a great match.

Seriously CP, stop whining and enjoy the show.

And for gods sake, UFC; Sign Mousassi PRONTO!!!!!!

If the fight were in Japan, Shogun would take it.

I think that Luiz Cain will be the one take the belt from Machida. Someone has to do it…right?

Why is CP complaining about this? Your favorite YAMMA champ Fedor had a fight with HMC….

You loved that but you critize this fight (which is legit IMO). Hypocrisy at it’s best

You think they should have had Rampage vs Machida and Rashad vs Rua for Sept. Instead.

Like I said in another article.. they need to stop putting title holders and top contenders on the stupid reality show and use popular fighters that aren’t up for a title shot. I think putting hughes and trigg on as coaches would be a great idea.
Neither of them are in the title picture yet they are still names that everyone knows and they are both assholes that will create drama and a grudge, and they already have a history and a pre-exisintg grudge to build on. Put them on to coach and have them co main event a ppv with a good title fight. It would make for an entertaining show and put asses in seats and sell ppv’s without putting titles or top contenders on the shelf.There are many other good pairs they could pick as coaches that was just an idea, but really any fight night main event caliber fighters would do.

@karate is back

There is no way Lyoto X Shogun reproduces a fight like Silva X Leites. Both fighers (Lyoto and Shogun) fight for win. Specially Shogun, he barely keeps the distance. And Lyoto relies on counterstriking. It’ll be one a hell of a fight but I admit I would like to see it maybe next year.

I honestly don’t have a problem with this match-up. Shogun deserves a title shot just as much as Rampage. And Shogun probably has a better chance of winning if he can get back to his old form. Plus you set yourself up for an interesting follow up fight between the winner of Machida/Rua vs the winner of Jackson/Evans.

This is awful because if Shogun is for real. . . he still needs one or two more fights (WINS) in the UFC before he is ready/deserves a title shot.

I love TUF, but stop taking Champs & #1 Contenders away from their fights for 9 months!!! Take two possible contenders, then have them fight for a chance to fight the current champs. (i.e. Hughes & Serra who then faught GSP)

Tito’s the best wrestler Machida’s fought, and let’s count his takedowns. So sure… bum rush him, take a few karate lumps, get stuffed anyway for your effort. Repeat. Not saying Machida is immovable, but it’s a lot easier sad than done, not to mention the guy hits you on the chin EVERY freakin’ time. I’d be willing to give someone a $50 bill for every arm punch Machida lands.

And as for the accused come-lately “nutuggers”… Machida is getting his attention now for a couple good finishes, but it doesn’t negate the fact that he’s always been good. Anyone remember him swatting Franklin in the ring? It seems that MMA gravitates toward certain expectations these days. If Royce Gracie come in and landed a good shot and flurried for a TKO a few fights in a row, people would act cheated out of seeing him sub someone. Winning isn’t enough, it has to be the People’s Choice. Rampage wins a decision without a big slam or left hook, he gets accused of being off his game.

So I’m fully expecting the Machida bandwagon to continue to board passengers until he goes to a decision, at which point people will question if he’s bored or less hungry now that he’s champ. The crowds are as much a part of the whole MMA scene as the fighters themselves, because it’s becoming more and more obvious that the matchups and fightpaths are being determined by what’s in demand, not what’s deserved.

UFC stopped making sense long ago…. How about giving Lesnar a title shot after 1 win?!!

This is not as bad… if shogun wins, it sets up for a nice rematch with Rampage… or gives Rashad another shot at the title… at least a little bit of a story line either way.

@Kuato-
Casa de los Pan hit the nail on the head, that looks like the only way you’ll beat Machida, however, you’d have to survive a flurry of severely accurate strikes to get to him, and not many of the fighters in the top five are hungry enough to try that., hence Casa’s prediction that a newer fighter is going to do it. Fighters like Rashad and jackson are too built up on themselves and rely on the “Skills” they think they have to take this guy out and they’d end up wating for an opening but instead catch a foot to the noggin. Or in Rashads case (who was severely puffed up on his skills due to his record), a couple knuckle slaps to the “cock sucker”.
Rashad was soo overreated,…who the hell didn’t see that coming?

Rampage absolutely without question deserves the first shot over Shogun, but if Jackson would rather fight Rashad then they really don’t have much of a choice at the moment. Shogun’s the best option they have under the circumstances.

That said, I continue to be amazed by the level of Shogun fanboyism that goes on at various MMA forums. He barely scraped out a win against Coleman, followed it up with a much better showing against a way past his prime Liddell, and everyone’s ready to shout “2005 Shogun is back!!!” from the mountaintops? Really?

I get that there’s a nostalgia factor involved because he was a terrific and exciting fighter in Pride, but come on. Wouldn’t it be prudent to at least wait and see how he does against a top flight or up and coming fighter before declaring him “back”?

Congratulations on solving the riddle of Machida, Casa de los pan. If only all those fighters and camps had you there to advise them.

Everyone who has fought Machida, with the exception of Tito (although he didn’t execute well), has failed to do the obvious to beat him. Take a few lumps by rushing him, get inside, get him to the ground and pound his face in. It’s going to take an aggressive fighter to beat Machida.

I predict an up and comer will be the one to dethrone him, not a familiar face.

top 205ers (in no particular order): Evans, Rampage, Griffin, T. Silva, Jardine, Franklin, Rua.

Machida just beat Evans. Rampage backed out of a fight vs Machida. Griffin just lost to Evans and is fighting A. Silva. Machida just KO’d T. Silva. Jardine is a gatekeeper. Franklin isn’t even @ 205 yet. That leaves Rua. What’s a matchmaker to do?

The comparison to boxing is a bit off. It’s not like Evans/Rampage won’t be next in line. Probably followed by Forrest and/or someone else from the list. Machida needed a fight and Rua was the best available fighter. Would you rather Machida be a TUF coach and sit out 6 months? I for one would not. Is Rua the most deserving title challenger ever? No. Is he the least deserving? No. Remember, Rampage only had 1 fight in the UFC (vs. a 36 yr old Eastman) before his title shot…

“Who’s Shogun?” was my first thought at the site of that picture.

If Shogun improves his game for Machida as much as he did going from Coleman to Liddell, I think it won’t be as much of a drubbing as a lot of people think.

I’d be a lot happier to see Machida/Hua than Machida/Jackson.

@ CanadianGreaser

Yet ‘Page looked brilliant against Jardine, right? Oh wait I forgot, no one bought that PPV.

is it me or did DW not seem too happy putting the belt around Lyoto? Anyone else notice Dana’s somber look? He barely smiled when he congratulated him…

I hope he fights Rampage so he can get KOed.

Shogun did not look impressive against Liddell. Chuck looked terribly slow and off in that fight.

Prime Chuck would murder Rua. Rua without roids sucks.

So what would you rather see, CP? Machida take the rest of the year off while we await the outcomes of other fights until someone in your eyes is at last deemed the #1 contender? Yeah… that’s be a spectacular waste of talent. I want to see Machida fight again this year, and so does everyone else. And since NO ONE who currently stands in the 205 division has any hope of beating The Dragon, they might as well put anyone in there. They wanted Rampage, but he wussed out, and now Shogun seems like the next best pick. Fans will pay to see it, so where’s the controversy?

“I was already thinking about a fight with Rashad, so I can’t fight someone else” …fucking weakest excuse ever not to take a fight FOR THE UFC BELT!!

And why should ‘Page be considered so much better than Rua anyway? Look at their most recent fights… Jackson eeks out a non-impressive decision win over Jardine, while Rua just KO’d Liddell in the 1st. I know Chuckers isn’t the same fighter he used to be – not even close – but still, wouldn’t you say that win puts Rua on fairly even ground with Jackson?

The only other guy at 205 who would deserve a shot would be Forrest, and regardless of the fact that he’s already got a big fight lined up, I don’t even think he’d want it. Forrest is a fighter, not a driven champion, and he’s as much as admitted that. Owning the belt means nothing to him except more headaches.

shogun should at least fight a contender before he gets a shot. beating old man Coleman and iced man Liddell doesn’t prove anything.

….therefore there is no one deserves a title shot (other than Rampage who was supposed to get his shot). i sense something like Leites vs. Silva coming up.

Here’s the gist of your article:

Shogun doesn’t deserve the title shot.
Shogun is the best candidate for a title shot @ 205 (besides rampage).
…
No solution.

I’m going to take Machida in one hand and Rua in the other and smash them both. But then I’m going to pick Machida up and give him a hug because he entertains me. Rua, I’m just going to throw out beside a dumpster on my way to the afterparty with Machida. And HAL… like it or not… I’M going to wear his belt. It’d be for the wrong weight class, but Brock won’t answer his phone for me to smash him as well, so I’ll settle for now. I’m probably going to carry Rashad Evans around, too, and use him as a stick to scrape the shit off my shoe should I happen to step on Rampage when I cut through the sewage plant and trip over him while he’s teaching his kids to fish.

Wah! Dana isn’t putting the fight that we want together….WAAAAAHH!

Save it.

Are you just realizing now that Dana makes the rules? Is it really a big shock he is looking at it from a Marketing/Money perspective? Come on Dudes.

That fact aside…what’s the rush? If we can see Shogun fight “The Era” soon and THEN see him fight the winner of Jackson and Evans…does the order really matter that much?

Rankings Smankings…They are all different, they are all based on opinions and they have all been proven very weak in the past.

Less bitching please.

hal 13. your comment is one that i would love to pass by and ignore strictly based on its level of ignorance, but my self control aint that sharp.

i could go in depth, but ill keep it simple for your sake.

frank mir is an ego freak who uses words to extend the length of the tic tac swinging between his thighs.

dude, do you for real think he’d beat fedor. please, please understand the dominance that is rolled up into fedor’s record. lindland/hunt/coleman/crocop/arlovski/randleman/nog- you have to understand that as comical as these names might look to you now, fedor fought these dudes in their prime and beat them, rarely experiencing a moment of trouble in the fight. i didnt throw sylvia’s name in the mix, cause ive never seen him as all that skilled. that said, you saw what fedor does with “weak” competition.

the last thing i want to seem like is a punk that would never say any of this to your face. im not down with being a jerk and hateful to anybody, but i just feel the need to give a 2nd voice to the matter. i love the ufc, but the heavyweight division is weak and not to say that affliction is a heavyweight powerhouse, but you have to understand that fedor up until this point in his career is fighting the best heavyweights around, and again, beating them with little effort. that is dominance hal 13, a dominance frank mir wants nothing to do with, believe me.

Rampage asked for Rashad to oppose him on The Ultimate Fighter. He decided not to make his title shot bed, and now Shogun gets to sleep in it.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RUA/MACHIDA TOPIC BUT I FOUND IT ON YAHOO, AND IT CAME FROM A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SESSION WITH FRANK MIR, AND MIKE GOLDBERG FROM LAST FRIDAY AT THE MGM GRAND CASINO, AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE. IT A PERFECT, AND I MEAN PERRRRRFECT WAY TO SUM UP THIS WHOLE FEDOR BEING THE GREATEST FIGHTER EVER BULLSHIT. SO HERE IT GOES FOLKS. READ IT AND WHEEP. “If you win an Arena Football League title, it’s a ring and you’re a great athlete and you deserve it,” Goldberg said. “If you were in the XFL and you won in the XFL with those uniforms, you are still a champion. If you won in the USFL – Doug Flutie and the boys, Herschel Walker – you were a USFL champion. But at the end of the day, all those players wish they had a Super Bowl ring and that they won in the NFL. And that equates to what Frank’s talking about.” I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN. THAT FUCKING FEDOR IS AFRAID OF THE UFC HEAVYWEIGHTS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THAT HE WILL GET HIS ASS HANDED TO HIM WITHIN HIS FIRST 2 TO 3 FIGHTS. IF EVEN THAT MANY. MANY PRAISES, AND HIGH FIVES TO MIR, AND GOLDBERG FOR THERE GENIUS WAY OF EXPLAINING WHAT A FUCKING CHICKEN SHIT COWARD THAT FEDOR REALLY IS. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW EVERYONE STICKS UP FOR FEDOR NOW IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING LEFT TO SAY AFTER THIS. MY NAME IS HAL, AND I HAVE SPOKEN. ALONG WITH THE HELP OF MIR, AND GOLDBERG.

Doesn’t matter what the UFC tried to set up, Rampage said he wouldn’t fight Machida because he wants to fight Rashad. Rashad pissed him off, and he’s been thinking about beating his @$$ for months now.

This is probably best for everybody involved.

I know I wanna see Rashad vs Rampage. Shogun vs Machida seems less impressive due to Shogun’s recent form, but could be a great fight if Shogun recaptures some of that past glory.

Anyone remember UFC 96 when Evans got in Ramage’s face? After that incident, i’d think that he rather comit some “black on black crime” before going after the belt anyway. And we get a season of TUF with more shit talking and bad blood than we’ve yet to see on the series, which should make for some interesting television. No one’s pretending that Shogun is the top contender in the LHW division, he’s simply the best of who’s available.

Agree with the majority. Shogun is a great choice.

1. Rampage is a slower Evans with better (but slower) boxing and footwork. Good luck landing that predictable hook on the phantom menace (oooh, that’s a good nickname) when your left leg is destroyed by the second round.
2. Even if you consider capable, Forrest is tied up.
3. And then there is none.

Shogun is widely considered the only striker skilled enough to engage with Machida. He’s versatile, creative, explosive, and a Muay Thai master since he was 22. Plus he’s got sick BJJ.

And I agree with the dudes who want Mousasi. Mousasi v. Machida?!? Sweet jesus.

Sorry Ben,
Im with a lot of other people on this! Shogun is the man for the Job! They where also my thoughts as soon as Machy won the Belt!
When would Rampage start and finish TUF filming anyway????/
Great i guess this means the next Tuf will be full of boxers and wrestlers if Evans and Rampage are coach!
Id like to see Dana pay for Anderson and Michy to get ENGLISH classes then they could do a season as TUF coaches! now that would be Awsome!
If Michy keeps the belt or even if shogun gets it! id like to see it defended 2 more times this year! in about three months from now……so maybe UFC 102 and then in the last UfC of the year along with the Heavy weight belt at the end of the year!

Forrest would have the best chance of beating Machida out of any other Light-Heavy Weight.

i love how almost everyone grabs onto the nuts of the new champ. i’ll give machida more respect when he actually DEFENDS the belt. let’s see how hungry he stays…

Anderson will never EVER fight Lyoto, he has said this time and time again. Forget about it.

Kupa had it right. Shogun in top form has a great chance. If you watch the Chuck fight again you will notice right away Shogun’s footwork was resembling his devastating run in PRIDE. I’d love to see it. I’d rather see Shogun get another tune up but hey this is the UFC, they care about no ones well being. And your right there is no one else. War Shogun.

2 words: Anderson Silva

Oh god… I know they gotta whore themselves for TUF because it’s so awesome for the sport and doesn’t shit all over it at all, but this is just fucked. Rua’s going to die before he can get back in shape. Not that he could beat Machida even at his best, just that Rua would actually survive if he were in shape.

Well, hopefully Rich Franklin will get a few wins under his belt and get a title shot. That could be a good fight… and then he’d have to go up to heavy weight or something.

I DON’T THINK THAT RUA HAS DONE ANYTHING TO DESREVE A FIGHT WITH MACHIDA AS LONG AS HE IS THE CHAMPION. RUA HAS NOT IMPRESSED ME AT ALL IN THE UFC. YEAH HE BEAT CHUCK BUT HELL EVERYONE THAT CHUCK HAS FOUGHT LATELY HAS BEEN BEATING HIM. I JUST THINK ITS A STUPID FIGHT BUT YET AT THE SAME TIME IT MAY JUST BE A GENIUS PLAN BY DANA TO HELP BUILD MACHIDA UP THAT MUCH MORE AS A CHAMPION. YA NEVER KNOW THOUGH, RUA MAY JUST BEAT THE FUCK OUT OF MACHIDA. IS IT EVEN ON PAPER YET. IF NOT THEN LETS TRY NOT TO GET ALL CARRIED AWAY FOR NOTHING. I WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE THAT FIGHT RATHER RUA IS DESERVING OF IT OR NOT.

1. I still watch TUF, but I don’t look forward to it like I used to. Messing with the matchups for the sake of a show that has lost most of it’s appeal is getting fucking old.
2. Why does the UFC LHW division, heralded as the deepest not long ago, seem to be a bare cubbard now that it is time to match a contender for Machida? It should be Rampage next. Everyone else that matters is coming off of a loss, or a loss to Machida himself. (tell me who I am missing)
3. If not Rampage, Rua is the only one with name recognition (to commited MMA fans) that has two wins back to back and the pedigree for contention.
4. If Evans beats Rampage, then the opportunity for a Jackson/Machida fight is squashed. Of any, I think this fight would bring more buys, it is the most interesting, and few can hype fights like Quinton.

If Lesnar can get a title shot after drying humping Heath Herring, Shogun can get a shot for atleast finishing his last fight and semi-finishing a gassed 44 year old without any training (and money).

Going back to the shark tank anology for the LHW division:

Is it me or is Machida the proverbial “Shark with a laser beam” that regular sharks can’t compete with?

Sure in a couple years, every shark will have laser beams and probably missiles, but right now any shark against a shark with lasers is just a minnow?

This ain’t pride.

Shogun without enhancements don’t stand a chance.

Very good points in this article. Evans was coming into the Griffin fight with an undefeated record and way more legitimacy than Rua. Plus there wasn’t a clear number one contender when he did.

Now we all know the next matchup should be Rampage. If you are thinking Rua even remotely deserves a contender shot then you are smoking big crack. The current Rua is a shell, and no one is convinced by the Liddell fight. Rua clearly needs to fight a top contender before even lining up NEAR the championship fight.

It’s bogus, and it is a boxing-esque move, meant in the worst way. They are more concerned with their reality show than they are with fair play and respect for their own champion. Handing Lyoto Rua instead of Rampage is just disrespect.

They are afraid that Page is going to be defeated, that’s why we aren’t going to see this fight. It lowers the short sighted payday they’ll get with Evans/Page. It’s a money grab and will bite the UFC if they continue to operate like this.

Remember when they continually dodged Lyoto and refused to give him the best competition? Well, nothing has apparently changed now that he’s champion.

This is fucking dumb. Whatever though, Lyoto will destroy Shogun.

Gegard Mousasi vs. The Karate Kid. Make it happen!!!!

That’s what I’ve been saying… sick match-up!

sign mousassi

people don’t realize he had some serious injuries for the coleman fight, if hes in shape and healthy he’ll kill the running karate boy.

I say even a 2005 Pride Shogun would have issues making contact with Machida. Rua is the man, but won’t have much for him outside of some hard kicks.

Rampage/Rashad winner… Rampage would be a heavy bag for Machida, but a good paycheck for Rampage to buy a new truck. In a re-match, Rashad would be far more scared than their first match, knowing what is coming.

WAR RUA
He took forrest pretty much the disance with a blownout knee, he already demolished rampage, A healthy shogun is the best 205 without a doubt

With machida at the top it seems like EVERY LHW isn’t able/has the skills to step to up for the belt. I don’t think it’s unfair for shogun to have a title shot. Ramp didn’t fight that impressively to really deserve one. He did win two of three but so has shogun so what’s the deal CP?

An in-shape Rua WITHOUT A MOTHER FUCKING DOUBT, has the best chance, by far, against Lyoto. You guys are forgetting about the Rua that fucking ruined everyone in Pride. If he really is back to 100% (as the Chuck fight showed is very possible) I think he will give Machida one hell of a fight. I wouldn’t put any money on his ass but you cannot tell me that there is anyone that has a better shot then Rua. Not even close.

Lol ok Ben, UFC is not making a mistake, Shogun should get the title shot on Pride credentials alone, Dan Henderson did against both champions (Rampage and Anderson) So why not Shogun? out of the whole LHW division he has the best shot to beat Machida. Anyone else is below with a 7-1 underdog ratio, Forrest Griffin will be fucking history after Anderson dance/rapes him, and Cane is not ready, Rampage is not going to beat him not with that boxing bullshit he is not. Shogun by far is the best next to Lyoto, Forrest was a fluke, Rashad is good but cannot hang with Top Competition.

This is what Lyoto Machida did to the LHW it made it weak, weaker than 185 or 170.

this is my take on this, its all DW strategy. (dana and joe siva stop reading this)
ok, Rampage is my fav fighter, and i honestly think he couldnt pull a W on Machida right now, based on how he looked in his fights w/ evans, t.silva, & ortiz. so Dana thinking what i think wont throw Ramp at Machida just yet, let Shogun try, cause if Shogun pulls it out of his ass, Ramp can definitely beat Shogun. get me? If not, then maybe then Machida era will weaken and Ramp will reign surpreme once again. atleast this i what Dana and i want.

On the one hand, Shogun’s sorry performance in the UFC so far does not in any way make him even remotely deserving of a title shot. Then again, it would be nice to see Shogun get completely demolished, so, whatever…

Oh man, what if he shelves Machida till the end of the year show? Then he puts the belt on the line against Anderson Silva after he steamroles Forrest Griffin.

I rather see Shogun fight The Dragon more than Rampage right now. I feel a “prime” Shogun is much more well-rounded than Rampage. If Rua trains his ass off, the belt could be his….

Lyoto will win this… I dont have any faith that Shogun is back to 2005 Pride Shogun. His last fight went how long?… what a minute or 2 and everyone was hyping him up as being back to form… ok lets see him last more than 5 mins before we all jump and down.

If Forrest Griffin beats Spider Silva, then he has a damn strong case for a shot at the title.

Everyone in the division is 2-1 or worse, with the exception of K-Sos, Luiz Cane, Ryan Bader, Jon Jones, and Jason Brilz. Rampage is 2-1 in his last three fights, with wins over Jardine and Wand, whoopee, his number one contender spot is just as fabricated as anyones. The Shogun match will be rad. Why are you complaining?

Whine Potato

I just wanna know why my comment: “say what????” was flagged as spam.

Shogun isn’t ready but I’ll be the first to tell you that I’d put money on PRIDE 2005 Shogun over Machida anyday. PRIDE 2005 Shogun + Shogun with crazy head movement and footwork during the Chuck fight = The end of the Machida Era.

Rashad beat Chuck and they gave it to him too.

Mauricio Shogun!