Denny Burkholder

The feared and revered Fedor Emelianenko (30-1-1) fights undefeated KO artist Brett "The Grim" Rogers (10-0-0) in the main event.

Emelianenko is every bit the MMA master people say he is, but nobody is immune to a guy with Rogers' knockout power. One square shot to the jaw could topple the legend.

Round 1: "Big" John McCarthy is the referee. Rogers looks very anxious. They trade quick punches. Fedor is bleeding. Fedor tosses Rogers to the mat with a takedown and Rogers quickly gets to his feet and forces Fedor's back to the fence. Rogers with a short left hand to the temple. Fedor's nose is bleeding and he's breathing out of his mouth now. They're back in the center of the cage now. Fedor with a big left hand to Rogers and throws him to the mat with a single leg. Fedor is in Rogers' half guard now. Fedor tries for a kimura but Rogers fights out of it and takes top position, hammering away at Fedor from the top. Fedor goes for the arm again and Rogers fights out of it. Fedor now throwing fists from the top. He's back in Rogers' half guard and trying for an arm triangle choke from the top. Rogers gets full guard. Fedor is back to his feet. Fedor throws a big haymaker down at Rogers that misses. The round ends, and it's 10-9 Fedor. Rogers has already surpassed most predictions by simply lasting the full first round, let alone doing some damage.

Round 2: Fedor with a right, misses a left and tries for a takedown. Rogers lands a knee to the body. Fedor unloads with a barrage of fists with Rogers' back to the fence. Rogers blocks the majority of the strikes and ties Fedor's arms up. They separate and get to center cage again. Fedor puts a huge right hand on Roger's chin and drops him. One-punch knockout for Fedor Emelianenko as McCarthy steps in to stop the bout. Incredible.

Winner: Fedor Emelianenko defeats Brett Rogers via knockout at 1:48 of Round 2.

This was vintage Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor got hit with some big shots by a very powerful Brett Rogers. He got busted open. He was unloaded upon from the top, but in the end, Fedor still made it look so very easy.

One of the recurring themes of Emelianenko's fights is that there is always a moment or two -- however fleeting it may be -- where the man looks beatable. But he never loses. Many have threatened to beat him, but aside from that controversial stoppage many years ago, nobody has done it.

And if the volume of cheers for Fedor coming from the fans in attendance at the Sears Centre was any indication, we might have our answer to the question of whether a soft-spoken, introverted Russian fighter can break through as an attraction in the United States.

As I said in my preview for this show, Fedor doesn't have a ferocious look or a charismatic attitude to help him turn heads for promoters. What he does have -- and what we all saw in his win over Brett Rogers -- is a very legitimate claim to being the best heavyweight fighter in the world, and an exciting guy to watch in the ring or cage.

He will probably lose someday. It will be amazing to see how and when that happens, and who pulls it off. Until that day, it's enough just to watch the master ply his craft and keep the streak alive.

Welcome to America, big guy. See you again soon.

Jake Shields faces Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title in a five-rounder. Miller's entrance, per usual, will rule your face.

Shields is the favorite here, but Mayhem absolutely has the tools and the toughness to hang in a lengthy battle with him.

Round 1: The legendary "Big" John McCarthy is our referee. Miller is mugging and smirking even as the fight begins. Mayhem throws a pair of fists and Shields takes him down. Miller is on his backside against the cage, preventing Shields from improving the position on the takedown. Shields takes Miller's back and puts the hooks in. Shields with some ground and pound. Miller goes to his back and Shields takes full mount, throwing more strikes from the top. Miller bucks out of it and gets to his feet again. Shields with another takedown shot and they're right back against the fence again. Shields with fists to the side, while Miller just bides his time and preserves energy. Miller takes Shields' head in a guillotine, basically just to force Shields to escape and change position. McCarthy stands them up and -- surprise! -- Miller takes Shields down for a change, with a big slam. Shields scrambles to his feet. Miller throws him back down with a waistlock from behind. Miller works fists from the top with Shields on his knees. The round ends, and I'd call it 10-9 Shields, narrowly.

Round 2: Miller with a left hook. Shields is bleeding from the nose. Miller takes Shields down with a waistlock from behind and scrambles to keep back control, but Shields reverses it. Shields winds up in full mount and punches Miller in the head. Miller uses the cage for leverage to get to his knees. Shields has Miller's back and is trying for the rear naked choke with intermittent punches to the temple. Miller scrambles and Shields gets him into a banana split position, which is exactly what it sounds like. The scramble continues and Shields takes Miller's back again, and Miller scrambles to his knees before escaping to his feet. Miller throws a couple of bombs down at Shields from the standing position. Shields ties up Miller's leg for a heel hook attempt, which Miller stifles as the round ends. 10-9 Shields, but Miller is living up to his reputation as a guy who is very hard to finish.

Round 3: Miller with a one-two punch combo into a takedown. Shields scrambles to his feet and answers with his own takedown. Shields with side control into full mount. Miller fights back to half guard, but Shields lands some strikes and gets full mount again. Miller back to his knees, and he uses a monkey roll to reverse Shields. Miller back to his feet and catches Shields with a spinning back fist, which gets cheers from the crowd. McCarthy stops the action briefly due to some kind of wrist tape issue with Shields. He puts them back to over-under position to resume the bout. Miller escapes to his feet as Shields maintains a body lock. Shields with a single leg takedown. Miller fights to back control and works for a rear naked choke. Shields escapes, but Miller sinks it in really, really tight. The horn sounds to save Shields from getting choked out. 10-9 Miller that round, because Shields looked done. If not for the horn, he'd be history. Unbelievable.

Round 4: Shields with a takedown, and they're in the same position with Miller on his backside against the fence. The crowd is cheering loudly for Miller now. Miller can't get to his feet but Shields isn't doing much aside from holding Miller down. McCarthy stands them up. Miller with a pair of knees to the ribs that connect big, and Shields goes right back to the takedown. Shields with side control. Shields tries to pin Miller's arm with his leg to land some strikes. Shields takes full mount and tries for an arm triangle choke, which Miller spins out of. Shields has Miller's back. Miller scrambles and again uses the monkey roll, but Shields ends up in side control once again. New MMA viewers are getting a great look at some quality ground fighting tonight. End of the round, and it's 10-9 Shields, but not in a dominating way.

Round 5: They trade fists, with the only real shot that lands being a right by Shields. Shields ties Miller up again and lands some knees, then takes a waist lock from behind. Miller reverses but ends up back in Shields' full mount. Miller rolls out of it and ends up with Shields taking his back, throwing fists to the head. Shields is keeping back control with a body triangle and working for a rear naked choke. Miller reverses and gets to his feet. Shields ducks in for another takedown shot and Miller slaps on a guillotine choke, but Shields breaks free. Shields with fists from the top as Miller continues to scramble for position. Miller gets to his feet and throws a body kick at the end of the final round. 10-9 Shields, so I score the bout 49-46 Shields. We'll see what the judges came up with.

Winner: Jake Shields defeats Jason "Mayhem" Miller via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds to win the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title.

Hard-fought battle by both guys, which was expected from the beginning. Nothing saps a fighter's energy more than a prolonged ground war like that one, but they both hung in there for the duration.

Gegard Mousasi fights Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at light heavyweight in the next bout. Mousasi has been on a major tear, and has been very impressive lately. Sokoudjou needs a KO here, or he'll probably lose.

Round 1: Mousasi and Sokoudjou square off. Sokoudjou with a combo, nothing majaor lands. Sokoudjou misses on a punch to the body. Mousasi with a head kick, blocked. Sokoudjou with an uppercut. Leg kick by Mousasi. Sokoudou fakes and throws a left, and Mousasi counters with a kick that errantly strikes the groin. Sokoudjou with a big outside leg kick and Mousasi shrugs it off. Mousasi with a fist combo. They trade leg kicks. Mousasi rushes in with fists and connects with a few, but Sokoudjou takes him down. Mousasi reverses to the top and starts throwing knees to the ribs from side control. Sokoudjou pops his hips and escapes from the bottom, then trips Mousasi to the canvas and attempts a guillotine choke. Mousasi breaks free. Mousasi tries a hip throw and Sokoudjou blocks it, winding up on top of Mousasi. Sokoudjou stands to try some strikes from above and eats two upkicks from Mousasi, who has won fights via KO this way. Mousasi leg trips Sokoudjou to reverse right as the round ends. Much better round from Sokoudjou than expected. 10-9 Sokoudjou.

Round 2: Mousasi closes the distance and they trade fists, then lock up near the fence. Mousasi with a knees to the ribs and thighs as he holds Sokoudjou's back to the cage. Mousasi breaks out with elbows and uppercuts to the jaw. Sokoudjou traps his arms to stop the flurry. Mousasi again tries to trip Sokoudjou to the mat and ends up with Sokoudjou on top in half guard. Mousasi rolls his hips and takes the arm, but Sokoudjou rolls free. Mousasi ends up on top working some ground and pound. Mousasi is landing big shots to the face and body, and Sokoudjou looks lost. Sokoudjou rolls to his side and covers his face with his hands as Mousasi keeps punching, earning the stoppage victory.

Winner: Gegard Mousasi defeats Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO due to strikes at 3:43 of Round 2.

That's the 14th straight win from Mousasi. Sokoudjou's takedown defense looked strong, but once he gets to the canvas, he still seems green. Mousasi was too versatile for him.

Here we go with the first fight of the CBS broadcast, as Fabricio Werdum, a former top heavyweight in the UFC and PRIDE, takes on former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

The winner here could be next in line for Fedor Emelianenko... or, in the case of a stunning upset tonight, Brett Rogers. Werdum has the experience edge, but he's facing a guy in Silva that has the size, reach, and jiu-jitsu to really give him problems wherever the fight ends up.

Round 1: Silva doesn't have much of a height advantage, but his head and hands are gigantic, and he has four inches in reach on Werdum. Werdum connects with a right hand and Silva goes insane, crushing him with a series of uppercuts. Silva pummels Werdum back against the fence. Werdum goes down as Silva keeps smashing away with his hands, including a big haymaker to the jaw that got a reaction from the crowd. Werdum takes one of Silva's legs to close the distance and gets back to his feet. Werdum works some leg kicks, and tries to sucker Silva back into a ground fight, but Bigfoot's not having it. Silva with a jab and a leg kick. Werdum with a nice left-right combo, but Silva is not hurt. Werdum with a body lock and leg trip, but he can't take Silva down. Elbow by Silva. Kick into a punch combo by Werdum. Silva answers with a combo and gets the better of the exchange. Silva with a leg kick and an uppercut, keeping Werdum on his heels. Silva ties up Werdum against the fence and lands an elbow. Werdum shoots for a takedown and misses, eating more strikes while laying on the mat. The round ends, and it's clearly 10-9 Silva.

Round 2: Werdum pushes forward to strike and an uppercut by Silva puts him on the canvas again. Silva hovers over Werdum, who is looking for upkicks. Silva tags him with a right hand to the jaw. Silva finally moves to the mat for some ground and pound and instantly gets reversed by Werdum. Werdum passes to side control but Silva escapes to his feet before he can capitalize. They trade leather briefly before Silva bodylocks him against the cage again. Werdum reverses Silva to put his back on the cage, but it's a stalemate, so the referee moves the fighters back to center cage. Leg kick by Werdum. Silva looks for the Muay Thai clinch but Werdum shucks it off. Single leg trip by Werdum for the takedown as Silva traps his leg to keep him in half guard. Werdum passes to side control. Silva rolls out of it and nearly takes Werdum's back in a scramble. Werdum takes the leg but can't turn it into a submission hold. The round ends, and Silva seems to be tiring faster than Werdum. Much closer than Round 1, but I give it to Silva again 10-9.

Round 3: Inside leg kicks by Werdum. Uppercut from Werdum misses. Werdum misses on an overhand right but follows up with a takedown. Silva turtles up and Werdum hammers away at his giant head. Werdum puts the hooks in and tries a rear naked choke, but Silva escapes to his feet. Werdum with knees from the clinch. Silva connects with a series of punches and Werdum answers with another knee. They tie up again and Werdum goes back to the clinch to throw some knees. Single leg attempt by Werdum fails. They're at close range and Silva is landing more uppercuts. Werdum gets a head drag takedown and starts hammering on a turtled-up Silva again. Silva looks gassed. Werdum tries to mount but Silva block the leg. Werdum with ground and pound as the round comes to an end. This round clearly belongs to Werdum, 10-9. Who wins this decision should depend largely on how the judges scored Round 2, which could have gone to either fighter. I score the bout 29-28 for Silva, but Werdum could take it. We'll see.

Winner: Fabricio Werdum defeats Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds.

We're minutes away from the start of the televised portion of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers on CBS. In the meantime, here are the quickie undercard results from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill:

• Marloes Coenen def. Roxanne Modafferi via submission to an armbar at 1:05 of Round 1.
• Jeff Curran def. Dustin Neace via submission due to injury (rib) at 1:39 of Round 1.
• Shamar Bailey def. John Kolosci via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27) after three rounds.
• Nate Moore def. Louis Taylor via TKO due to strikes at 3:24 of Round 2.
• Christian Uflacker def. Jonatas Novaes va unanimous decision (29-26, 30-25, 30-25) after three rounds.

A scheduled undercard bout pitting Mark Miller vs. Deray Davis hasn't happend yet, which means it has either been scrapped for lack of time, or will take place at the end of the show, after Fedor vs. Rogers.

The round-by-round fight blog of Strikeforce on CBS begins at the top of the hour, so if you can't get to a TV to watch it live, keep it right here for full coverage.

I will have a live blog of tonight's primetime network TV broadcast of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers on CBS, beginning at roughly 8:45 p.m. ET.

That will include round-by-round details of the action from each of the fights on the main card, which looks like this:

• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett "The Grim" Rogers
• Jake Shields vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title
• Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
• Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum

Notes heading into tonight's big show:

-- In a very late development, Emelianenko vs. Rogers is now for the WAMMA heavyweight title, held by Emelianenko and not to be confused with the actual Strikeforce heavyweight championship, which belongs to Alistair Overeem. For those unfamiliar, WAMMA is an independent sanctioning body that crowns its own champions and decides whether certain fights are for their own titles, with no bearing whatsoever on who the champion is of the actual promotion putting on the fight.

The fight will remain a three-rounder instead of the traditional five-round title fights. If it were for the Strikeforce title, it would be for the full five rounds... not just because it's Strikeforce, but also because it would have been planned far enough in advance to allow the extra time, rather than being finalized literally the day before the show.

-- All the fighters on the CBS telecast made weight for their fights.

-- Rumor has it that if there is time to kill during the CBS broadcast, the undercard bout most likely to be replayed is the women's 145-pound bout between Marloes Coenen and Roxanne Modafferi.


Take a final look at the tale of the tape and roundtable predictions for the CBS fights in our Head to Head preview .

See you tonight for the live blog.

Undefeated UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida defends his title against challenger Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the main event of UFC 104.

Round 1: Shogun with a kick to the body. Machida with four knees from a Muay Thai clinch before they separate. Machida with another knee from the clinch as Shogun shoots in for a takedown. Shogun holding Machida against the fence, throwing knees to the thighs. Machida breaks free. Machida throws a high kick and Shogun connects on a low kick counter. Shogun tries for a takedown. They're against the fence again and Machida breaks free. Machida with an outside leg kick. Shogun rushes in with a punch-kick combo, but Machida eludes it. Machida with an inside leg kick, and Shogun answers it with an outside leg kick. Shogun is attacking every opening Machida leaves, even if he has to chase him to land it. Big leg kick by Shogun. Counterstrike right hand by Shogun. body kick by Shogun. Machida lunges in with a left jab. The round ends, and on my scorecard, the streak ends: 10-9 Shogun.

Round 2: Machida with a straight body kick and Rua counters with a fist. Shogun follows up with a leg kick. Machida with a very hard straight left to Rua's face, which backs him up for a second. Shogun whiffs on a head kick. Machida lands another left. Shogun ducks in for a takedown attempt and Machida times a knee to the head perfectly. Shogun fails to get the takedown. Machida with an outside leg kick. Body kick by Shogun. Machida with a body kick of his own. They both throw knees to the body at the same time, blocking each other. Shogun with a nice body kick but Machida stuffs the takedown attempt that follows. Shogun clinches Machida against the fence and Machida throws some knees to the ribs. Shogun attacks Machida's thighs with knees as the round ends. I'd narrowly give this round to Machida, 10-9.

Round 3: Shogun with another big body kick. Machida's side is totally red at this point. Leg kick by Shogun. Shogun mixes up the body kicks, switching from side to side as Machida changes his stance. Huge body kick by Machida. Rua with a kick and Machida counters with a fist. Shogun shoots for a takedown, doesn't get it, but smashes Machida with an elbow to the head on the break. Yet another big body kick by Shogun. The crowd is now chanting for Shogun, sensing that he's got a chance to win this. Machida with a body kick. Shogun chases Machida down with a big leg kick and Machida takes a clinch for a knee strike to counter. Machida backs Shogun up against the fence and unloads with fists and kicks. Shogun answers back with fists, including a hard right, and finally ties up Machida. The round ends. 10-9 Shogun heading into the championship rounds.

Round 4: Both men are being very measured in their strikes, cautious of the other's ability to counter. Shogun throws an inside leg kick and Machida answers with a one-two fist combo as Shogun blocks. Body kick by Shogun. Head kick by Machida is blocked by Shogun. Shogun with a takedown attempt at the fence, but it's a stalemate. Huge leg kick by Shogun and Machida fires back with three straight punches. Shogun with a left fist into a tie-up. He lands a short elbow on the break. Knee to the body and leg kick by Shogun. another leg kick by Shogun. The round ends, and Machida looks more tired and beaten up than Shogun does. 10-9 Shogun.

Round 5: If the judges agree with me, then Machida needs to finish Shogun in this round to keep his title. Shogun with more leg and body kicks. Machida countering with fists, but Shogun knows they're coming and blocks. Body kick by Shogun. Machida with a body kick. Shogun walks right into a big knee, but avoids a follow-up knee and ties up with Machida on the fence. The referee breaks it up for inactivity with two minutes left. Body kick by Shogun, followed by an inside leg kick. Machida with a knee to the body, and Shogun answers with a short elbow to the head. The crowd chants for Shogun again. Machida misses on a high kick. Machida throws a knee and Shogun blocks it, then attacks with fists. Left hand by Shogun and the buzzer sounds. Both men raise their arms, but I have to think Shogun just won the title. 10-9 Shogun, so I score the bout 49-46 for Mauricio Rua. We'll see what the judges think.

Winner: Lyoto Machida defeats Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds to remain UFC light heavyweight champion.

Wow. The crowd boos the decision.

Machida evaded the question on whether he thought he deserved the decision, saying all three judges said he earned the victory. But he was open to a rematch.

"Whenever," Machida said. "Whenever he wants, I try again. No problem."

"My corner told me that I was winning all the rounds," Rua said through an interpreter after the loss. "I feel like I won this fight, but a fight is a fight. What can I do."

There are several things to take away from this. Firstly, this was Mauricio Rua's best performance in a long, long time, and he deserves a rematch.

Secondly, this illustrates that perhaps Machida has earned a little bit of champion's favoritism, in that he needs to be completely dominated or finished in order to lose. If Machida and Shogun were two midcarders fighting, would Machida still have won that decision? Or was he given the benefit of the doubt due to not being finished or seriously rocked?

Lastly -- are leg and body kicks given enough credit on scorecards? Shogun didn't attack Machida's head very much, but after a full 25 minutes of successfully going after the legs and body, was he hurting his score purely due to that strategy? Does somebody need to knock Machida out cold in order to get credit for winning the standup battle?

I'm interested in your thoughts, so fire away.

Undefeated heavyweight Cain Velasquez tries for his fifth straight UFC win in a battle against former IFL heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell, who makes his UFC debut.

Rothwell has won 14 of his last 15 fights, with the one loss being a third-round KO at the hands of Andrei Arlovski for the former Affliction fight promotion.

Round 1: Velasquez throws a body kick and Rothwell answers with straight punches. Rothwell with another combo off a Velasquez kick. Velasquez with a takedown. Rothwell tries to get up with his back to the fence. Rothwell gets up and Velasquez dumps him with a high takedown. Rothwell escapes. Velasquez lands some solid punches in a pair of exchanges. Velasquez with a single-leg takedown and some elbows from the top. Velasquez has side control. Velasquez lands a couple of fists from the top. Rothwell tries to escape and gets tripped to his back. More elbows by Velasquez. Velasquez throws punches from the top. Velasquez tries to take his back for a choke, but then switches to full mount. Rothwell pops his hips to escape and Velasquez goes right back to ground and pound. Velasquez stands over Rothwell and unloads with serious bombs from the top. Rothwell is getting dominated here, and is now bleeding. He just can't get up from beneath Velasquez. Miraculously, the round ends without Rothwell being finished. 10-8 Velasquez. He's just too much of an athlete, and his wrestling is far too advanced for Rothwell.

Round 2: Rothwell whiffs on a head kick. He looks out on his feet. Velasquez with a single leg takedown. Rothwell goes to kis knees and Velasquez smashes him with several hard uppercuts. Rothwell scrambles with his back to the cage, trying to get back to his feet. Velasquez obliterates him with five consecutive lefts to the face and referee Steve Mazzagatti stops the fight. Rothwell immediately protests the stoppage. Velasquez was clearly dominating the fight, but Rothwell does have a history of being able to take a lot of punishment. The thing is, if you aren't answering strikes like that, you're putting the referee in a position to make that call. Such is MMA.

Winner: Cain Velasquez defeats Ben Rothwell via TKO due to strikes at 58 seconds of Round 2.

Velasquez said after the fight that he didn't think Rothwell was finished, and that the fight could have gone longer. He felt Rothwell was still posturing up and trying to escape from the spot.

After a break to watch the replay of Okami-Sonnen, we get back to live action as Josh Neer fights Gleison Tibau at middleweight. Both men coming off losses.

Tibau enters to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."

Round 1: Neer lands one right hand and Tibau fires back with a combo. Tibau with a big takedown, slamming Neer on the back of his head. Neer gets back to his feet. Big inside leg kick from Neer buckles Tibau's leg. Tibau with another big slamming takedown. Tibau tries some ground and pound but can't do it, because when he's close, Neer pulls guard and starts striking from the bottom and when he postures up, Neer threatens with upkicks. Neer gets up and they briefly trade before Tibau slams Neer with another takedown. Neer immediately escapes to his feet. Inside leg kick by Neer. Tibau with punches, missing the majority of them. Neer lands a hook. Tibau takes Neer down one more time. Can he do anything with it this time? Nope -- Neer's up. Inside leg kick by Neer. Tibau connects on a one-two counter combo. The round ends, and I score it 10-9 Tibau, but he needs to do more after the takedown.

Round 2: Tibau comes right out with another big takedown. Tibau's power and wrestling are clearly superior. Neer's back up, and he lands a couple of shots to the face before another takedown puts him on his back... briefly. Tibau with a straight left. Neer counters with a right. Inside leg kick by Neer. Takedown by Tibau. It's safe to say both guys are sticking to their gameplans. Neer tries to escape but this time, Tibau takes full mount. Neer gives up his back on a scramble and Tibau puts the hooks in as Neer tries to stand up. Neer shakes Tibau off by escaping out the back door, but Tibau takes an arm on the way down and threatens with an armbar. Neer escapes and they square off again. Neer misses an uppercut and Tibau misses the counterpunch. Neer whiffs on a haymaker. Another inside leg kick by Neer. Neer is grimacing in pain when he throws those kicks now, so he may have injured himself. End of the round, and I give it to Tibau 10-9 again.

Round 3: Tibau with a takedown and Neer is fighting back from the bottom, with upkicks and other strikes. Neer is up again. Neer swinging for the KO now, probably sensing the fight slipping away. Neer stuffs a takedown attempt for a change. Neer stalks Tibau, throwing mostly left hands. He has gotten away from the leg kicks. Tibau with a single-leg takedown. Neer gets into butterfly guard and fights his way back up. After some fist exchanges, Neer throws another leg kick and limps afterward. Both fighters land some punches in a flurry. Tibau with a takedown, and the time expires. Tibau 10-9, winning 30-27 on my scorecard. The crowd boos. UFC commentator Joe Rogan says they're "L.A. douchebags."

Winner: Gleison Tibau defeats Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds.

Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer "The King" Fisher is up next at lightweight.

Fisher enters the Octagon to Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down," which is 40 different kinds of awesome.

Round 1: Stevenson with a leg kick. Fisher with an inside leg kick. Stevenson with a left hook and Fisher counters with a right. Fisher now throwing body kicks as a lead-in to punches. Stevenson goes for a bodylock takedown and Fisher sprawls. Stevenson puts Fisher's back to the fence and tries to muscle him down. Stevenson switches to a double leg and keeps fighting for it. Back to a body lock. Fisher is bleeding over the right eye, but he's an easy bleeder. They're separated and Fisher starts with leg kicks again. Stevenson with an elbow to the wounded eye. Fisher smiling and waving Stevenson forward, so Stevenson takes him down and tries to take Fisher's back as he turtles up. The horn blows to end the round as Stevenson goes for a rear naked choke. 10-9 Stevenson.

Round 2: They duke it out with nobody gaining an advantage for the first minute of the round. Stevenson gets another takedown and Fisher takes full guard. Fisher with elbows from the bottom. Stevenson postures up and tries for a leg lock, but fisher pulls out of it and re-establishes guard. Stevenson grinds up Fisher's head with short elbows, re-opening that cut. Fisher loses half guard as Stevenson takes side control and traps the arm. Stevenson hammers away with elbows, and with Fisher unable to defend himself, referee Herb dean stops it.

Winner: Joe Stevenson defeats Spencer Fisher via submission due to strikes at 4:03 of Round 2.

We keep it going now with Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida, a fight that was supposed to be at each man's standard welterweight limit of 170 pounds. Johnson killed that idea by showing up on the scales at 176 pounds for the weigh-ins, looking like he was about to pass out. When you try to cut from 220 pounds to 170, that'll happen.

Yoshida agreed to fight Johnson at a catchweight of 176, and Johnson is now certain to have a significant weight advantage in the Octagon. Win or lose, Johnson will forfeit 20 percent of his purse for overshooting the contracted weight by such a large margin.

Round 1: As suspected, Johnson looks considerably larger than Yoshida. Johnson with a barrage of fists. A five-punch combo sends Yoshida backing into the cage. Johnson locks up Yoshida and pounds away with uppercuts, crosses and other big shots, finally dropping him to the mat with a right hand. Referee Steve Mazzagatti stops the bout.

Winner: Anthony Johnson defeats Yoshiyuki Yoshida via TKO due to strikes at 41 seconds of Round 1.

Johnson apologized to the UFC and the fans for failing to make weight. He probably should have apologized to Yoshida too, or at least thanked him for still accepting the fight.

Useless trivia: This fight is the 39th fastest KO/TKO win in UFC history. Go ahead. Look it up. I'll wait.

TUF 8 light heavyweight winner Ryan Bader (9-0-0, 2-0-0 UFC) puts his unblemished record up against Eric "The Red" Schafer (11-3-2, 3-2-0 UFC), who is looking for his fifth consecutive victory.

Round 1: Bader connects with a right hook and Schafer shrugs it off. Shafer misses with left jabs, trying to find his range. Bader tags him with a combo. Schafer misses a few more jabs and Bader roughs him up with a combo. Bader misses with a looping right hand. Bader with a left jab. He follows up with an overhand right and a left to the ribs. Bader chases Schafer down and smashes him with a big right hand to the ear. Schafer goes down and Bader slugs away with rights to the head, trying to finish. Schafer gets to his feet and Bader tosses him back down like a rag doll. Schafer gets up again, eats some strikes and gets taken to his back again. Schafer turtles up and covers his head as Bader goes Donkey Kong with hammer fists. Schafer rides it out and ends up taking guard. Tough kid. Schafer catches Bader's arm in an omoplata, but Bader powers out of it and decks him for good measure. Bader backs off and the ref stands Schafer up at the buzzer. 10-9 Bader, but Schafer is still dangerous.

Round 2: Schafer accidentally pokes Bader in the eye with a weak jab, causing a momentary stoppage. Schafer finding the mark now with jabs and leg kicks. Bader has slowed his attack, probably out of respect for how hard it is to finish Schafer after that first round flurry. Schafer with jabs, keeping Bader from finding range for a big shot. Bader misses with a left hook. Bader gets inside with a body shot, which Schafer answers with a combo. Bader lunges in and Schafer missed on a countering left. Schafer tags Bader with a left hook that takes him off balance. Bader is lunging with his shots now and Schafer is beating him on technique. Bader tries a takedown with 10 seconds left, probably trying to earn points with the judges. Schafer stuffs it and clips him with a right. Bader goes for another takedown and Schafer stuffs him again at the buzzer. 10-9 Schafer.

Round 3: Bader lands a light left jab followed by a looping overhand right to the ear, and Schafer goes down again. Bader moves in to finish, but Schafer ends up taking guard. Bader inadvertantly headbutts Schafer, which bloodies his face. Bader lets him up, and the referee wants the doctor to look at Schafer's mug. It's all good, so we continue. Bader still looking for that big knockout shot, but Schafer is staying patient. Neither man is throwing much in the way of strikes. Bader with a double-leg takedown to side control. Schafer with knees to the ribs from the bottom. Bader doing very little on top, just enough to try and seal the round for himself and keep Schafer from escaping. Schafer pulls himself back to guard and tries for an omoplata at the buzzer. 10-9 Bader by my scorecard, which gives the fight to Bader, 29-28. We'll see if the judges agree.

Winner: Ryan Bader defeats Eric Schafer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-26, 30-27) after three rounds.

I don't know where that 29-26 score comes from. That judge gave Schafer one round 10-9, and the other two rounds (presumably Round 1 and Round 3) to Bader 10-8. Bader definitely won those rounds, but I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them 10-8 rounds. At least they got the winner right.

We're kicking things off with the heavyweights, as Pat Barry faced Antoni Hardonk. This might be a quick one.

Round 1: Hardonk refuses an obvious gesture to touch gloves from Barry. So Barry nails him with a right to the jaw on the first exchange. Well played, sir. Hardonk with the outside leg kick. Barry with a hard leg kick of his own, and then he counters a Hardonk leg kick with a right hand. Hardonk face-palms Barry before throwing a leg kick and poked Barry in the eye, causing a brief stoppage. Barry with a straight right. Hardonk with inside leg kicks. Hardonk starts with body kicks and Barry hits him with a right. Hardonk slumps down into a double leg shot and just sits there, as if he may have been hurt by the punch. Barry gets him to his back and works for a choke. Hardonk escapes. Hardonk with a head kick that gets blocked. Barry doing a good job countering with fists. Hardonk now has a bloody nose. The round ends with Hardonk still using those kicks. It's a good strategy since Hardonk has a significant reach advantage, except Barry doesn't seem to be having much trouble getting into range. 10-9 Barry.

Round 2: Barry has a good-sized mouse under his right eye. Barry lands a very stiff one-two combo that puts Hardonk back on his heels. Barry rocks him again with a straight left during an exchange. A big right hand sends Hardonk to the canvas, but he's back up. Body kick by Barry. Hardonk ties up Barry and tries for a takedown, which could be an indication of how he feels about Barry's strikes. Hardonk can't get the takedown and they square off again. Barry puts a straight left right on Hardonk's jaw and follows up with a roundhouse right fist, and Hardonk is down for good. Two more punches on the canvas, and the ref waves the fight off.

Winner: Pat Barry defeats Antoni Hardonk via TKO due to strikes at 2:30 of Round 2.

Joe Rogan asks Barry what he was thinking after he got poked in the eye in the first round. Barry says "Ouch."

Here are the quickie results from tonight's UFC 104 undercard bouts so far. Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen is still in progress:

• Jorge Rivera def. Rob Kimmons via TKO due to strikes at 1:53 of Round 3.
• Kyle Kingsbury def. Razak Al-Hassan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) after three rounds.
• Stefan Struve def. Chase Gormley via submission to a triangle choke at 4:04 of Round 1.

I'll be back shortly with round-by-round live blogging of the top seven fights on the card, beginning shortly at roughly 9 p.m. ET.

UPDATE:

• Chael Sonnen def. Yushin Okami via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds.

That's a big setback for Okami, who couldn't seem to catch a break in the UFC even when he was beating people.

I'll have live round-by-round coverage and analysis of UFC 104 tonight beginning shortly before 9 p.m. ET.

The top seven bouts will be covered in great detail, and I'll provide quickie results for the other remaining undercard fights (probably before the round-by-round begins, so if you're hoping to avoid spoilers for fights that could air on the broadcast as filler, there's your warning).

The big one, of course, is the main event pitting UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Machida (15-0-0, 7-0-0 UFC) is not only undefeated, but he's never lost a single round in the UFC. He is among the best when it comes to avoiding damage during a fight. Machida was somewhat unfairly tagged as a boring fighter after his earlier UFC bouts, but I guess that will happen when you're not allowing your opponent the chance to tee off on you. Machida's last two wins (including the title win over Rashad Evans) came via convincing KO, so the "boring" criticism has all but died down.

Shogun (18-3-0, 2-1-0 UFC) got off to a terrible start in the UFC after a very successful run in PRIDE, losing to Forrest Griffin via submission. Since that fight, he's won two in a row, looking progressively better with each victory.

With Rua, it's important to remember that his loss to Griffin was the exception to the rule. Before that, he had won 12 of his last 13 fights in PRIDE. Since the Griffin loss, he's won two straight. Then again, his recent wins were against an aging Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell. One can safely assume that Machida will be a much more difficult puzzle to solve than either of those opponents for Rua.

Machida is a very difficult guy to damage in a standup duel, but he's no pushover on the ground either. But still, taking the fight to the canvas is probably Shogun's best path to victory. Aside from his karate pedigree, Machida is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so just because Rua is skilled on the ground does not mean that Machida is toast if the fight goes there. It certainly makes the fight more winnable for Rua, but that may not be saying much.

The full card for tonight's UFC 104:

• UFC light heavyweight title bout: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
• Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
• Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer (157 -- catch)
• Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher (155)
• Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (176 -- catch)
• Ryan Bader vs. Eric "The Red" Schafer (205)
• Antoni Hardonk vs. Pat Barry (265)
• Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen (185)
• Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons (185)
• Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan (205)
• Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley (265)

Tibau vs. Neer ended up at a catchweight of 157 after both men slightly missed weight. Anthony Johnson came in at 176 for a 170-pound bout (and looked severely drained even at that weight), but Yoshida agreed to fight him at 176 anyhow.

Johnson will be fined 20 percent of his purse for missing weight by such an excessive margin.

See you shortly before 9 p.m. ET for the UFC 104 live blog.