MANILA – Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida admitted that challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua pushed him to the limit in UFC 104 Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

“It’s the most difficult fight I had in the UFC,” Machida told Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com.

Machida, whose unbeaten record seemed like it was on the brink of being broken, survived the “Shogun” test via unanimous decision after 5 rounds.

The judges’ scores were all 48-47 in favor of Machida. "The Dragon" still has a clean card, 16-0.

The UFC.com article noted that Machida became the first UFC light heavyweight champion since Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to successfully defend the title.

Rua, for his part, shared his thoughts on the match. “I trained hard for this fight. I feel like I won this fight,” said the former PRIDE fighter with a record of 18-4.

Machida’s unanimous decision win was booed by the crowd, Gerbasi wrote.

UFC 104: “Machida vs Shogun” was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

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