UFC 113: Shogun Rua KOs Lyoto Machida

The rematch was worth the wait for Shogun Rua, who knocked out Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 and won the UFC light heavyweight title Saturday night in Montreal.

Late in the first round Rua landed a right hook to Machida's temple that knocked him to the ground, then jumped on top of him and landed several more punches until Machida was unconscious and referee Yves Lavigne stepped in to stop it. Rua is the new light heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts.

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At UFC 104 in October, Machida won a close decision that many fans thought the judges should have awarded to Rua, and as a result the UFC decided to give Rua an immediate rematch. This time there's no debate: Rua is the best in the world.

The fight started with Rua throwing kicks to Machida's legs, just as he had done in their first fight. Rua also connected with a couple of hard punches that bloodied Machida's nose, but Machida landed some knees and took Rua to the ground a couple of times, and it seemed like it would be a back-and-forth first round -- right up until Rua landed that devastating right hand that gave Machida the first loss of his career.

"Thank you everybody," Rua said afterward in his limited English, before adding through his translator, "Lyoto is a great fighter."

Rua, who was one of the best fighters in the now-defunct Japanese Pride promotion, is now 19-4. Machida suffered his first loss and fell to 16-1.