Machida, Shogun Cleared for UFC 104

Mere hours before they throw their fists and feet at one another, UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua stood face to face one last time.

Machida checked in at 202.5 pounds for his first title defense against Rua (204.5) at UFC 104 “Machida vs. Shogun” on Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Seventeen of the 20 other men scheduled to compete -- including co-headliners Cain Velasquez (238) and Ben Rothwell (265) -- also made weight without incident.

Gleison Tibau (157) and Josh Neer (156.5), who will lock horns with one another, both failed to meet their contracted weights. Welterweight Anthony Johnson (176) followed their lead, as he tipped the scales five pounds past his limit for his main card match with Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170).

Having emerged as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Machida has not competed since he ousted Rashad Evans from the 205 pound throne with a brutal second-round knockout five months ago. The 30-year-old karateka has defeated four current or former UFC champions -- Evans, Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Tito Ortiz -- and also holds victories against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Accurate striking and a gift for evading punishment have become his calling cards.

Rua, meanwhile, used his technical knockout win over UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell in April as a springboard to a title shot. The 27-year-old Brazilian, who rose to global prominence inside Pride, was viewed by most as the world’s premier light heavyweight a few short years ago. Rua won the 2005 Pride middleweight grand prix. In the span of four months, he defeated Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona to win the tournament.

UFC 104 “Machida vs. Shogun”
Saturday, Oct. 24
Staples Center
Los Angeles

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Lyoto Machida (202.5) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (204.5)

Cain Velasquez (238) vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
Josh Neer (156.5) vs. Gleison Tibau (157)
Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Joe Stevenson (155.5)
Anthony Johnson (176) vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (170)
Ryan Bader (205.5) vs. Eric Schafer (205.5)
Patrick Barry (237) vs. Antoni Hardonk (249.5)
Yushin Okami (185) vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
Jorge Rivera (185) vs. Rob Kimmons (185)
Kyle Kingsbury (205.5) vs. Razak Al-Hassan (204.5)
Chase Gormley (262) vs. Stefan Struve (243.5)

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