Lyoto Machida hand surgery to postpone UFC 104 rematch against Shogun Rua

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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.