LOS ANGELES — Lyoto Machida retained his light heavyweight title with a narrow unanimous decision over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 104.

Machida (16-0) lost a round for the first time in his UFC career during a tight fight with Rua (18-4) on Saturday night, but all three judges rewarded the champion with 48-47 advantages on their scorecards.
Machida hung on with an injured leg and a bloody mouth in front of a Staples Center crowd that gradually switched its support from Machida to the underdog challenger, booing the final decision.
Cain Velasquez also stopped Ben Rothwell in the second round of their heavyweight bout, pinning Rothwell against the cage and landing numerous left hands. Velasquez (7-0) is one step closer to a title shot against Brock Lesnar.