Machida-Shogun Sequel Headlines UFC 113

Light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will defend his crown against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the UFC 113 “Machida vs. Shogun 2” main event on May 8 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The UFC on Thursday made the highly anticipated rematch official.

Machida defeated Rua in a controversial unanimous decision at UFC 104 in October. The Brazilians were projected to meet again at UFC 108 three months later, but a hand injury suffered by the champion forced a delay.

“The first fight between Machida and Shogun was very controversial,” UFC President Dana White said in a release. “I think fans are very excited to see them fight again and find out who the best light heavyweight in the world is.”

Unbeaten through 16 professional bouts, Machida knocked out “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 winner Rashad Evans at UFC 98 in May to become the undisputed king at 205 pounds. He had not lost a round in UFC competition until he fought Rua, who tested him with repeated kicks to the body and legs in their memorable five-round tilt in Los Angeles. Based in Shotokan karate, the 31-year-old Machida holds other notable victories against former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, one-time UFC middleweight titleholder Rich Franklin, reigning UFC lightweight king B.J. Penn and American Top Team’s Thiago Silva.

The resurgent Rua rode consecutive victories over UFC hall of famers Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell into his first encounter with Machida. Once considered the top 205-pound fighter in the world, he battled through a series of knee injuries that kept him out of the cage for more than year following his stunning 2007 submission defeat to Forrest Griffin. Rua, the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner, has defeated some of the world’s most accomplished fighters, including Brazilian standout Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, one-time UFC heavyweight titleholder Kevin Randleman and reigning Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. A devastating finisher, Rua has delivered 15 of his 18 career victories by knockout or technical knockout.

Other bouts rumored for UFC 113 include a pivotal welterweight showdown pairing Josh Koscheck with surging British striker Paul Daley and a middleweight clash pitting one-time title challenger Patrick Cote against Alan Belcher.