Whenever that may be … this appears to be shot before news of his looming hand surgery broke:

On the heels of the controversial main event finish at UFC 104 between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua, UFC President Dana White promised disappointed fans an immediate rematch.

The general consensus coming out of the event was that “Shogun” did enough to win a decision over the undefeated light heavyweight champion at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California back on Oct. 24.

The only problem is he didn’t, losing two rounds two three. In fact, all three judges — Nelson Hamilton, Cecil Peoples and Marcos Rosales — scored it 48-47 for “The Dragon.”

“I thought Shogun won the fight,” White remarked at the post-event press conference.

White also appeared to be a little upset that both fighters didn’t lay it all on the line in the fifth and final round. That’s probably because both of their respective corners told them they were ahead on the judges scorecards.

Despite a lip laceration and some very sore legs, Machida was ready to prove to the world his win was no mistake — just as Rua was ready to prove he was deserving of the 205-pound title.

There were rumblings of adding Machida vs. Rua 2 to the main card of UFC 108 on January 2; however, Yahoo Sports is now reporting that Machida will require surgery on his hand to repair damaged sustained in the five round battle against Rua.

As of now, the future of their planned rematch is up in the air. The extent of the injury, as well as the duration of the recovery time, has not been established, but it’s hard to imagine a rematch happening earlier than mid 2010.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates on Machida’s surgery as they become available.

Props: Gazeta do Povo

Quoteworthy:

“You just have to look at my face and his (Lyoto). I didn’t suffer one kick, only some knees but he has a rib broken neither get to walk and his mouth is stitched. They made some fighting analysis and I landed the double of hits. Will the judges say they didn’t see that? They will speak anything to justify the result. I feel pissed for my score (18-4), I prize a lot for it and I don’t consider this loss. I didn’t meet Lyoto after the fight but he’s a man I respect so much. He’s blameless, it’s judges’ culprit. Only them say the fight that way. I don’t blame Machida at all.”

Mauricio Rua fires back at recent comments made regarding the officiating for the UFC 104 main event that pitted the former PRIDE star against current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. “Shogun” appeared to be getting the better of the exchanges in their five round title fight; however, cageside judges Nelson Hamilton, Marcos Rosales and Cecil Peoples scored the contest unanimously in favor of “The Dragon.” While UFC President Dana White promised a rematch “as fast as possible,” questions still remain following the event as to the fairness and effectiveness of the current scoring system. Let’s hear your solutions in the comments section below.

… Yours truly, Lyoto Machida.

“I thought it was a very even and tough fight. I had the opportunity to see the fight again and I thought I won four rounds and Shogun took the last one. Some people say he won the fourth and fifth round, but for sure I won at least the first three rounds. The American commentators were pretty much biased. If you see the fight without audio, you will probably see a different fight. Shogun was a great opponent and had a nice strategy. He deserves all my respect as a fighter, but I was superior. I had three or four chances to finish the fight, and he never put me in danger. I didn’t get (dazed) at any moment of the fight, but I put him in danger three or four times. He kicked my legs a couple of times, but he wouldn’t knock me out with that. This fight was judged by professionals, so I’m pretty much comfortable with the result.”

Reigning light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida talks to Sherdog.com about his controversial unanimous decision win over challenger Mauricio Rua at UFC 104 last Saturday night in Los Angeles. “Shogun” appeared to be getting the better of the exchanges in their five round title fight but “The Dragon” blames biased American commentators for selling Rua’s offense as more than it actually was. Is it possible that a majority of fans were hypnotized by the pro-Rua ramblings of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg? Or has Machida been looking at the replay through urine-colored glasses? Where do you stand, Maniacs?

Props: MMAWeekly

Quoteworthy:

“Every time you go in there, you always want to try and make the fans happy, and it’s a little depressing when they don’t cheer for you, when they boo you. I didn’t really feel too much on the rib cage, but the legs, I started to feel it on the inside of one of my legs, and it was bothering me. I was a hundred percent, but sometimes when you get in there, you’re strategy doesn’t always work exactly like you planned it to. I would have liked to perform better, but it happens sometimes. I was looking to finish the fight whenever I could, but it showed that Shogun came very well prepared for this fight. I was constantly trying to find openings to finish the fight, but unfortunately, I didn’t get that. It’s just going to motivate me to train harder and I can guarantee you I’m going to put a better performance next time.”

Reigning light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida talks about his controversial unanimous decision win over challenger Mauricio Rua at UFC 104 last Saturday night in Los Angeles. “Shogun” appeared to be getting the better of the exchanges in their five round title fight and all but three people in attendance were prepared to crown Rua the new 205-pound champ. Unfortunately those three people were cageside judges Nelson Hamilton, Marcos Rosales and Cecil Peoples.