Ray Hui: I wasn’t as surprised by the fan reaction as much as the fighter reaction. This captivated fighters across the board, compelling them to chime in immediately afterward to publicly voice their displeasure with the decision. I found it fascinating that people considered Machida’s peers were so strongly against the judging that they went out of their way to join the outcry. I’m guessing that they would have hated to be in Shogun’s shoes when the final scores were announced.

And as close as the fight was, I find it curious that most (from what I’ve heard) fighters, fans and media scored it in favor of Rua. Yet, all three judges scored it for Machida. I wonder how much of pro-Rua voters would have changed their minds had it not been for Mike Goldberg’s commentary.

Goldberg is catching flack for bringing up the “you have to beat the champ” adage. I know, MMA is a sport, and as a sport, a victory within the specified rules agreed upon between the competitors should be valid with no exceptions. But, you can refer to this fight or one hypothetically, would it sit well with you if a challenger was to be awarded the belt in a razor-thin decision for a fight you felt could have gone either way or one you scored as a draw?

Speculation on a rematch is already rampant in the MMA community with fighters and fans taking sides. Will Shogun be able to stop “The Dragon’s” invincible Karate Do in their next UFC matchup?