MMA Universe

Props: CageReport.net

Quoteworthy:

“So what, (Velasquez) was punching me, big deal, isn’t that what happens in a fight? The reality of the situation is that I was using the cage to get to my feet and which I basically did and then for some reason Steve [Mazzagatti] decides to step in. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I mean if the punches had some force behind them I could understand it but those were like soft jabs that didn’t hurt at all, it was like he was just hitting me to stay busy rather than damage me. That’s is why I wasn’t covering up – the punches didn’t hurt and definitely weren’t doing any damage, at least not enough to slow me down, but then he [Steve Mazzagatti] calls the fight? Please, my grandmother hits harder that that. Maybe it looked bad to those at home and to those who have never trained but I had worked back into standing position and was ready to fire back some of my own, so how bad could the punches have really been? Come on, if you would have seen me the next day you’d have hardly thought I was in a fight – I woke up the next day with barely a scratch on my face. Look at some fights I have had in my career, I’ve been in plenty of worse positions and managed to turn the fight around and win. You know Shogun wasn’t the only one robbed that night. So what If I lost the first round by a small margin, all that meant is there were still two rounds up for grabs, my shoulders were just loosening up at the beginning of the second round – the real fight was just getting started. Look, I don’t want to make this sound like I’m taking anything away from Cain, he’s a great fighter, probably one of the best in the heavy weight division at the moment. I just feel like I’ve been working my entire career to get this shot in the UFC, only to have it taken away from me by an incompetent referee. Losing is one thing but to have such a big opportunity taken from you? I’m disgusted.”

Former International Fight League (IFL) heavyweight standout “Big” Ben Rothwell talks about the timing of his TKO stoppage against Cain Velasquez in the co-main event at UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” back on Oct. 24. The Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS) product was on the receiving end of a one-sided beatdown that consisted of Velasquez taking him down, controlling him on the ground and punching him in the face en route to a second round loss. Rothwell contends that he was finally back to his feet and ready to turn things around until referee Steve Mazzagatti robbed him of his chance to pull off what would have been nothing short of a miraculous comeback. Was Rothwell robbed ala Shogun? Or did all those punches to the head erase the memory of what actually transpired during the fight? Opinions please.

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.

Props: MMAWeekly

Quoteworthy:

“The fans and all the naysayers, I don’t worry about. I don’t back down because it’s not popular. My thing is, Rua did hit him more. But Machida hit him harder, especially in the early rounds. I’m really perplexed about how you give (Rua) [Round 1], because Shogun was kicking (Machida) a lot in the legs, but every time he kicked him in the legs, he got hit in the face. Shogun would put his hand up, and Machida would go right through, sweat’s flying off (Rua’s) face. Shogun kicked (Machida) in the belly –- that’s how he got the red mark. But you gotta remember, Machida is stepping back, so when he gets kicked, he’s getting brushed. But he counters Shogun with a hard kick to the belly. Which one counts more for the exchange? I give it to the (second one), because it was harder. It wasn’t brushed. Machida was controlling that round because he was dominant in not getting beat up in that round. He was the general in that first round. I give the fight to Machida in a very, very close fight. Now you’re pissed off because it’s my fault that you lost your money. No, it’s not. It’s Machida’s fault. If you don’t like it, you can go to hell.”

Strong words from a defiant and oft-criticized scorekeeper, Cecil Peoples, who places emphasis on the quality of damage inflicted over the total number of strikes landed. Peoples came under fire along with Nelson Hamilton and Marcos Rosales at UFC 104 after awarding a unanimous decision to Lyoto Machida, who appeared to be on the receiving end of a Shogun beatdown in last Saturday’s (Oct. 24) main event. Is Peoples merely a victim of the system? Or a loose cannon with no understanding of what he’s seeing? And how do you respond to his “go to hell” attitude? Sound off, Maniacs.

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) recently issued its list of medical suspensions for UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun,” which took place on Saturday, Oct. 24 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

With several of the bouts drawing blood, there were quite a few fighters who were flagged follow up visits with their doctors, including Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida — who went Hollywood and got bee-stung lips courtesy of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. “Big” Ben Rothwell — who had his eyebrow opened up during his drubbing at the hands of Cain Velasquez, was also benched for his injuries.

Spencer “The King” Fisher will also need to give his melon a rest after Joe “Daddy” Stevenson pounded on it en route to a second round technical knockout. And Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida didn’t get off easy either after going limp against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Here is the complete list of UFC 104 injuries and their medical instructions:

Lyoto Machida: Suspended 60 days (60 days no contact) for upper lip laceration.
Ben Rothwell: Suspended 60 days (60 days no contact) for right eyebrow laceration.
Spencer Fisher: Suspended 60 days (60 days no contact) for right eye laceration.
Yoshiyuki Yoshida: Suspended 45 days (30 days no contact) for precautionary reasons.
Patrick Barry: Suspended 180 days (180 days no contact) for possible left wrist fracture.
Antoni Hardonk: Suspended 45 days (30 days no contact) for precautionary reasons.
Rob Kimmons: Suspended 60 days (60 days no contact) for forehead laceration.
Eric Schafer: Suspended 60 days (60 days no contact) for nose laceration.

Just a quick reminder: Fighters often return to action much quicker once doctors give them the green light. The lengthy suspensions are just a precaution in most cases.

For complete results and coverage of “Machida vs. Shogun” go here and here.

The official fighter purses for those who competed at UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” this past Saturday night (Oct. 24) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., were released earlier today by that state athletic commission.

Main event participants, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, accounted for nearly 40 percent of the entire payroll with their combined salaries ($355,000).

Former number one lightweight contender, Joe Stevenson ($94,000), and surging heavyweight contender, Cain Velasquez ($70,000), rounded out the top earners of the evening.

Here is the complete list of UFC 104 payouts:

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida — $200,000
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua — $155,000
Machida defeated Rua via unanimous decision

Cain Velasquez — $70,000 ($35,000 to show, $35,000 to win)
Ben Rothwell — $50,000
Velasquez defeated Rothwell via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Gleison Tibau — $38,000 ($19,000 to show, $19,000 to win)
Josh Neer — $14,000
Tibau defeated Neer via unanimous decision

Joe Stevenson — $94,000 ($47,000 to show, $47,000 to win)
Spencer Fisher — $26,000
Stevenson defeated Fisher via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson — $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)*
Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida — $12,000
Johnson defeated Yoshida via technical knockout (strikes) in round one

Ryan “Darth” Bader — $30,000 ($15,000 to show, $15,000 to win)
Eric “Red” Schafer — $13,000
Bader defeated Schafer via unanimous decision

Pat Barry — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Antoni Hardonk –
Barry defeated Hardonk via technical knockout (strikes) in round two

Chael Sonnen — $54,000 ($27,000 to show, $27,000 to win)
Yushin “Thunder” Okami — $18,000
Sonnen defeated Okami via unanimous decision

Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera — $36,000 ($18,000 to show, $18,000 to win)
Rob “The Rosedale Reaper” Kimmons — $9,000
Rivera defeated Kimmons via technical knockout (strikes) in round three

Kyle Kingsbury — $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)
Razak Al-Hassan — $3,000
Kingsbury defeated Razak Al-Hassan via split decision

Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve — $14,000 ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win)
Chase Gormley — $10,000
Struve defeated Gormley via submission (triangle choke) in round one

*Required to forfeit 20 percent of purse and pay it to Yoshida for missing the 170-pound division limit at the official weigh in.

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the UFC often hands out extra cash for “Fight of the Night,” “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” To check out these figures for UFC 104 go here.

The total base fighter payroll for the blockbuster pay-per-view (PPV) event, which attracted an official crowd of 14,892 attendees and a solid gate of $1.9 million, was $922,000.

For complete results and coverage of “Machida vs. Shogun” click here and here.

Here are the official fight salaries for UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun as released by the California State Athletic Commission.

• Lyoto Machida – $200,000
• Mauricio Rua – $155,000
• Joe Stevenson – $94,000
• Cain Velasquez – $70,000
• Chael Sonnen – $54,000
• Ben Rothwell – $50,000
• Gleison Tibau – $38,000
• Jorge Rivera – $36,000
• Ryan Bader – $30,000
• Anthony Johnson – $27,000*
• Spencer Fisher – $26,000
• Yushin Okami – $18,000
• Antoni Hardonk – $16,000
• Kyle Kingsbury – $16,000
• Yoshiyuki Yoshida – $15,000*
• Josh Neer – $14,000
• Pat Barry – $14,000
• Stefan Struve – $14,000
• Eric Schafer – $13,000
• Chase Gormley – $10,000
• Rob Kimmons – $9,000
• Razak Al-Hassan – $3,000

The UFC also awarded $60,000 Fight Night bonuses to the following fighters: Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk for Fight of the Night; Pat Barry for Knock of the Night, and Stefan Struve for Submission of the Night.

The total disclosed fighter payout was $922,000.

* Anthony Johnson forfeited 20% of his $15,000 “show money” ($3,000) to his opponent, Yoshiyuki Yoshida for failing to make the contracted weight.

… 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

Cecil Peoples

Take a closer look at how Marcos Rosales and Nelson Hamilton scored “Machida vs. Shogun” after the jump.

Marcos Rosales

Nelson Hamilton

Thoughts?

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.

“Honestly, I though (the UFC) forced him to take the fight. Stylistically, I was like ‘Really? Dude, are you serious? Alright, happy birthday!’ I executed a lot of things right, but I felt like I couldn’t get the takedown and I was making excuses, ‘Man he feels slippery, he feels oiled up’ and I felt like he was. But why even say anything like that, that’s my fault for even taking it there. Yeah, he definitely put some lotion on this morning or last night took a bath. Something was different about him, maybe he had a lot of garlic though, that can make you slippery as well. Or it could just be in my head, that’s why I [just] need to improve myself.”

Joe Stevenson gives MMA Fanhouse the people’s eyebrow when talking about the condition of opponent Spencer Fisher at UFC 104 last Saturday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “Daddy” forced referee Herb Dean to stop the bout in the second round after “King” Fisher was busted open and taking too many undefended elbows. After the fight, the former TUF champ felt like Fisher added a little extra something to his training regimen that apparently had little impact on the outcome of the fight.

Fans of mixed martial arts were once again treated to an action-packed weekend chock full of fights thanks to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and DREAM putting forth a bevy of top stars in the heat of battle.

UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” went down from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., and lit up the Internet message boards with its controversial decision in the night’s main event.

Were we witnessing the Machida era? Or the Machida error?

In addition to the light heavyweight brouhaha, rising heavyweight talent Cain Velasquez silenced his critics by obliterating former IFL stud Ben Rothwell despite poor timing — not poor decision making from referee Steve Mazagatti.

On the heels of Zuffa’s latest pay-per-view, HDNet broadcast the DREAM 12 event from the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, just a few hours later. While much of the talk surrounded “Demolition Can” and his slap-chop inspired guillotine over James Thompson, international superstars Eddie Alvarez and Kazushi Sakuraba were also in action.

In cased you missed any or all of it — or just want to keep the discussion alive — below are links to all the major storylines coming out of both events.

Let’s get to it.

UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun”

Live results and play-by-play

Main card recap and post-fight thoughts

Bonuses and awards

FightMetric stats analyzing main event

Cain Velasquez wants winner of Lesnar vs. Carwin

DREAM 12

Paulo Filho forced to withdraw

Recap and post-fight thoughts

Alistair Overeem calls out Fedor

Video gallery and fight highlights

Remember that UFC 105 is just around the corer — along with FieLDS Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve for the Japanese scene. Keep it locked in right here at MMAmania.com for all the coverage you can handle.

Props: MMAplanet.jp

Quoteworthy:

“It was a complete, utter defeat. Reflecting on the fight, I have thoughts like, ‘I should have done this, I should have done that,’ but they are indications that my ability as a fighter proved insufficient. Sonnen was tough. When I stuffed the first takedown, I found myself in the clinch position which is normally my domain; however, I was surprised to be scooped up from underneath and thrown on the mat when I tried to fire off a knee from the position. He was more powerful than I imagined, and left me confounded as to what I should do next, and he kept up with his offense. I have never experienced anything like this before. For this fight, I had the best training possible, so I am disappointed about this loss. At the same time, I think I saw the limitation of the environment in which I find myself in (in terms of training). In Japan, I inevitably face a shortage of training partners and I often find myself on the offensive during training. Though I try to improve and diversify my training routine, I probably hit the ceiling at some point. I have the option of uprooting myself and training overseas… if I continue to train in Japan, I feel that I will end up becoming complacent, so I want to go back to square one and challenge myself. I feel that there is a need for me to train with training partners who are bigger than me. In order to win in UFC, I have trained to not be taken down and end up on the bottom on the ground; I thought I had the right approach, but I had not thought about what I would do if I did end up in a disadvantageous position. I was lax in my approach. Losing my passport (NOTE: He lost his passport right before he flew out of Japan and arrived in LA a day later than was originally scheduled to) ? It had no bearing on the fight. With all that said, I am very glad that I got to fight a tough fighter like Chael Sonnen. I am disappointed because I have never experienced a loss like this — it is up to me use this as a learning experience, so I would like to carefully ruminate how I can improve and implement (what I learned) in my fights.”

The most telling part of this comment is his concern about not having the optimal training environment in Japan. Has he simply become too big and strong that he has exhausted the training partners who present a challenge with physical strength? Or has the training environment at his longtime home of Wajutsu Keishukai grown stale — especially given the recent departure of some of the high-profile fighters (i.e. Caol Uno, Eiji Mitsuoka) from the camp?

Here are the results for the MMA HQ Fight Camp at MMAPlayground.com after Satruday night’s UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun event.

Points Winners
1. RJStCroix – 68 pts
2. Lam – 66 pts
3. Banned2 – 62 pts
4. bvrasp – 59 pts
5. littlenurselaura – 57 pts
6. gus-swifey – 57 pts

Wager Winners
1. Bola14 – $705
2. littlenurselaura – $350
3. maxx – $240
4. gus-swifey – $145
5. Fearthis1351 – $140

Current Season Standings
1. Banned2 – 321 pts (+1)
2. Bola14 – 314 pts (-1)
3. bvrasp – 310 pts
4. MikeD – 296 pts (+1)
5. Lam – 289 pts (+2)

Only four events left in Season 6. The top five players are all within 32 points of the leader, so the season title truly is still up for grabs. The race should tighten up a bit with the next two events, so make your picks count.

For more on FightMetric and a complete round-by-round analysis of the UFC 104 “Machida vs. Shogun” main event fight click here.

UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., has officially wrapped, which means that it’s time for those select fighters who went above and beyond in their respective fights to get a little extra grease for their efforts.

To the tune of $60,000 each.

The promotion dished out its standard post-fight monetary bonuses to four out of the 22 fighters on the card. And one fighter left “The Golden State” with a double dose of green.

In addition to their base salaries, the UFC awarded undercard standouts Pat Barry and Antoni Hardonk “Fight of the Night” for their hard hitting, back-and-forth war that was short on rounds but long on excitement.

Not only did Barry “Get Hype,” he also got cash, as the short but powerful kickboxer scored “Knockout of the Night” with his lights-out finish over Hardonk in the second frame.

Also bringing home the proverbial bacon was Stefan Struve, who locked up Chase Gormley in the “Skyscraper” Triangle from which there was no escape, earning a tap and a cool 60 G’s for “Submission of the Night.”

Here are the special fight bonuses for UFC 104:

Fight of the Night — Pat Barry vs. Antoni Hardonk
Knockout of the Night — Pat Barry
Submission of the Night — Stefan Struve

Again, each fighter received $60,000 extra for their performances in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will pass along as soon as possible.

For complete UFC 104 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here and here.

UFC 104: “Machida vs. Shogun” went off tonight (Sat., Oct. 24) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., featuring a main event between undefeated light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and former Pride FC 205-pound wrecking machine, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Machida somehow remained undefeated with a unanimous decision, but it is certainly a controversial outcome. Perhaps the most controversial since Michael Bisping magically squeaked by Matt Hamill.

Shogun punished Machida for five straight rounds with blistering low kicks. Machida’s legs and torso looked like raw sides of beef when all was said and done — he could barely move in the final two rounds. Meanwhile, Shogun looked untouched when all was said and done.

Neither fighter was ever in any real trouble throughout the 25-minute contest; however, it appeared that Shogun was definitely the busier fighter who inflicted way more damage.

Perhaps because there were no knockdowns the judges erred on the side of caution and gave it to the champion. But it’s hard to see how all three judges unanimously agreed that Machida won that fight … because he didn’t.

Only time will tell how this all shakes out, but for now, it appears that Shogun got utterly robbed tonight. Even Machida looked surprised when the announcement was made by Bruce Buffer.

Ho-hum.

Heavyweight up-and-comer, Cain Velasquez, who was originally booked to take on Shane Carwin to determine the number one contender in the heavyweight division, needed to prove himself once again against grizzled veteran, “Big” Ben Rothwell, in the co-featured fight of the night.

Did he ever.

Velasquez put a licking on Rothwell from bell-to-bell, completely dominating every facet of the fight until the referee stopped the action early in the second round.

It was more than likely not the best time to stop the contest because Rothwell was actually standing; however, Velasquez was just beating him up so terribly prior to the stoppage that it’s hard to say it was premature.

In fact, Rothwell is lucky the fight wasn’t stopped sooner.

Velasquez put on an absolute clinic. The pace he sets and his ground and pound is perhaps unmatched in the heavyweight division sans the current champion, Brock Lesnar.

He more than likely showed enough tonight to warrant a future title shot. Velasquez is the real deal.

Rothwell, on the other hand, showed his grit and toughness. He’s a fine addition to the heavyweight class and will likely have success down the road.

Velasquez is just a ferocious beast.

Joe Stevenson looked to string together consecutive wins for the first time in more than two years against the very game Spencer Fisher.

He seemed relaxed and confident heading into the 155-pound showdown and he remained that way for the entire fight. It was vintage “Daddy” as he avoided brawling with the super aggressive Fisher and stuck to his gameplan of takedowns and ground and pound.

It was the perfect mix, which was just too much for Fisher to handle in the second round. Stevenson pinned Fisher to the canvas and rained down relentless elbows that he simply could not avoid.

Fisher had no answer. And he appeared to tapout just as the referee stepped in to save him from the onslaught.

Nice win for Stevenson, which more than likely gets his name back in the mix of top 155-pound fighters once again. His training with Team Jackson in New Mexico is clearly paying huge dividends.

He looks reborn.

Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida kicked off the PPV action in a welterweight attraction.

And any skeptics who thought “Rumble” would be sucked out and sluggish after faltering on the scale at the official weigh in were wrong.

Dead wrong.

Johnson attacked Yoshida from the opening bell and stopped 41 seconds later when the Japanese import was on his back staring at the ceiling.

It was an all-out beatdown.

Despite coming in five pounds heavy, which he apologized for in his post-fight remarks, Johnson looked sharp, crisp and powerful. He’s an absolute monster who has no immediate plans to move up to 185 pounds.

That’s bad news for the rest of the welterweight division. He made a very talented fighter look very bad tonight.

Look out.

That’s enough from us — now it’s your turn to discuss “Machida vs. Shogun” in the comments section below.

Sound off, Maniacs. Let’s hear what you have to say.

To check out complete UFC 104 results, coverage and detailed blow-by-blow commentary of the televised main card fights click here.