EON

Mixed Martial Arts fighting has left boxing in the dust in recent years. This is due to a unique fighting style and because the game isn’t corrupt. That said, after watching Mauricio Shogun Rua fight defending champ Lyoto Machida, I’m beginning to wonder if this sport is heading in the same direction when big money is involved.

At UFC 104, Rua was very strategic. He completely took Machida out of his game. He frustrated Machida the whole fight by eliminating his strengths. Rua used targeted kicks and some punches to make sure the fight fit his fighting style instead of Machida’s. Some say that if Rua was still in his prime, he would have finished Machida off and locked up the victory. Just because he didn’t do that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be awarded the victory if he outfought his opponent.

When the scores were announced at the Staples Center, almost everyone in the building looked shocked, including Lyoto Machida. While this is unfair to Rua, the significance of the decision goes way beyond that fight. It’s possible that the UFC wanted the champ to remain the champ, but when you strip integrity from the game, your sport is bound to end up like boxing. Eventually, another sport comes around and steals your thunder.

Hopefully this decision was an aberration. For the sake of the sport and all of its fans, let’s hope that’s the case, because in my book, Mauricio Shogun Rua is the current light heavyweight champion.