It's been more than two years, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is finally bringing world-class mixed martial arts back to California, and when the lights go down for the main event of UFC 104 on Saturday, October 24, fans will witness a battle between two of the most dynamic fighters ever to set foot in the world-famous Octagon, as Brazil's Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida defends his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time against his countryman and fellow superstar Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Also waging war at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, will be a clash between two of the heavyweight division's rising stars, unbeaten Cain Velasquez and UFC newcomer "Big" Ben Rothwell.

"It's been two years since the UFC was in Southern California and we knew we had to bring something special for our return to the capital of mixed martial arts," said UFC President Dana White. "Lyoto Machida captured the imagination of fight fans with his knockout of Rashad Evans, and while he seems unbeatable right now, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua not only has the tools to beat any 205-pounder in the world, but he's coming off a knockout of Chuck Liddell in his last fight, so his confidence is sky-high. This has the potential to be one of the greatest light heavyweight title fights ever."

Tickets for UFC 104 will go on sale Saturday, August 29 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, $100, $75 and $50. Tickets are available online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800) 745-3000 and are also available at the STAPLES Center box office. Prices do not include service charges.

UFC® Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Thursday, August 27 starting at 10 a.m. PT via UFC.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Friday, August 28 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida remains a mystery, so far, to every opponent he's faced. The Belem, Brazil native holds a perfect 15-0 record and three finishes in his last three fights, the 31-year-old has dominated the UFC light heavyweight division. His highlight-reel second-round knockout of undefeated Rashad Evans not only captured the UFC light heavyweight belt, but established Machida as an international superstar. With an unorthodox style and a Machida Karate black belt, Machida remains one of the hardest targets to hit in the Octagon. The lifelong martial artist also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes.

"I'm honored to be making my first title defense in Los Angeles," Machida said. "The fact that I get to fight someone as respected as Shogun is an honor as well. My last fight before I won the title was against Thiago Silva, so I know how tough my fellow Brazilians are. I'm training extremely hard for this matchup and I'm looking forward to a great fight."

A fighter that has faced the best in the world throughout his career, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil) has now made a name for himself in the UFC. With a "Fight of the Night" TKO victory over UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman at UFC 93 and a devastating first-round TKO over another Hall of Famer, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Rua has positioned himself as the No. 1 contender for the UFC light heavyweight title....

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 104 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!