UFC 113: Top 12 Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua Narratives

When a fight is put together, promoters often scramble to try to piece together some good narratives to help hype up a fight.  That's hardly necessary with the UFC 113 rematch between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua.

But just in case the fight hasn't captured your imagination yet, here are the top 12 narratives for the fight.

12. Correcting The Machida Error

The Internet exploded after the UFC 104 decision was read.

It seemed like a large majority of observers thought that Rua had done enough to wrest away the title.

Instead, he lost.

Much of the criticism was levied against the judges themselves. Cecil Peoples certainly didn't help his case when he said that leg kicks don't really count.

But aside from just blaming specific judges, the last Machida vs. Shogun decision made some people believe that there's something utterly foul about MMA judging.

Expect angry howls of vitriol, misdirected threats of UFC boycotts, Josh Grossesque open letters, "Downfall" rants, banned Shedog accounts, and more if this fight goes to another controversial decision.

11. How To Score A Fight

Not everybody blamed the judges or the system of judging for the decision.

Some people thought that Machida eeked out the decision.

Still, if you're going to defend your Machida scorecard from last fight, you're probably doing it by going really deep into the details of MMA scoring.

Expect a large dose of talk about effective aggression, Octagon control, and the value of leg kicks as things transpire in the rematch.

If it's another close decision, expect a lot of the talk to once again center around Fightmetric's system of effective score, and other similar ideas.

10. Questionable Commentary

Did you watch the fight with the commentary muted?

Did you watch it in slow motion?

Did you watch the rounds in non-sequential order in slow motion with the commentary muted while remembering not to think about the White Elephant?

Many people thought that Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg mishandled the commentary during the first fight.

Among other examples, here's a flying kick by Rua that was countered with a punch straight to the jaw.

Rogan's commentary? "Huge kick by Shogun!"

Rogan likes leg kicks. If you want proof of that, watch the Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin fight to see him saying, "Nice leg kick," as Irvin is lying there half conscious.

That said, I don't think the commentary was intentionally one-sided.

It will be interesting to see how Rogan handles calling the rematch. Usually Goldberg follows along with Rogan's narrative.

9. Legitimizing the Machida Era

When Machida defeated Rashad Evans, Rogan said, "Welcome to the Machida Era."

So far, the era has been less than it was billed up to be.

There is a lot riding on this fight for Machida. A loss will make the Machida Era seem like nothing more than a blip in UFC history, while a win should put Machida on the short list of potential UFC hall of famers.

8. Shogun vs. Dragon

This one is for the James Clavell and mythology fans.

The story of a dragon fighting against an ancient warrior general must be recorded somewhere in the pages of Japanese myth and legend.

Their first battle ended when the dragon used some magic trickery to defeat the shogun.

The final battle begins.

7. Cosmic Justice For Shogun?

For those of you who thought that Rua deserved the win, here's the chance to see if lightning can strike twice.

Yet although we can debate the decision, history has shown that just because you might have deserved the win in the first fight doesn't mean that you're going to win the second one.

Just ask Donald Cerrone.

6. Anderson Silva?

Many people believe that Anderson Silva is the man who would be king...

...If Machida weren't already there.

If Machida loses, that might just open up the door for Anderson Silva to challenge for the light heavyweight belt.  Holding two UFC belts simultaneously has never been done.

5. Technical Mastery

Machida and Rua both have an extremely high technical mastery of mixed martial arts.

Machida in particular has mastered techniques that he alone uses in the top levels of MMA.

This rematch has the potential to be another showdown at the highest level of technique in the sport.

4. Strategic Brilliance

In the last fight, Rua showed off strategic brilliance like he'd never shown before.

Machida was completely unprepared for a game plan that was very un-Shogunlike.

In the rematch, it will be interesting to see if Rua has another brilliant strategy, and if Machida can counter with one of his own.

3. There Can Be Only One

For all you Highlander fans.

In the end, there can only be one true champion. Most fans are hoping for a decisive finish to put the dispute to rest one way or the other.

2. The Return of Pride

After Rua's last few performances, Mike Goldberg said that the old Shogun from Pride FC is back.

I disagree completely.

The Rua that showed himself in his last fight was a whole new monster. One capable of executing a brilliant and disciplined game plan.

Most people disagree with me, and a lot of them go on to tell me how what Shogun is doing validates all those years of Pride FC.

Most of us have passed all of that Pride vs. UFC debate by now. After all, it's not like there haven't been other fighters who have come from Pride and had success in the UFC. But if you're into dwelling, dwell on my friend.

1. The Last Karate Kid

Not only is Machida defending his own legacy, but he's also the last defender of karate.

Machida stands like Minas Tirith as the last bastion of karate pride, holding back the horde of Muay Thai orcs.

I don't know if Machida feels pressure to defend the reputation of karate, but if he loses this fight, people will be quick to say cite the loss as proof of the death of the martial art.