The date was May 2, 2003. The place was the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was New Japan Pro Wrestling – established in 1972, it is the largest wrestling promotion in Japan. Although primarily a pro wrestling organization, they have also helped promote MMA events over the years.

A young 22-year-old Brazilian by the name of Lyoto Machida was making his professional mixed martial arts debut against Kengo Watanabe, a Japanese fighter who was carrying a record of 7-8-2 at the time. Watanabe was a Pancrase and DEEP veteran who had been fighting since 1998.

Machida dominated the fight for three full rounds and ended up winning by unanimous decision. Machida’s next fight was against Stephan Bonnar, then Rich Franklin. A couple fights later, he fought B.J. Penn, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, and Rashad Evans – defeating them all. Today, Machida is the UFC light heavyweight champion. His next fight will be against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on Oct. 24 at UFC 104.

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