LOS ANGELES - No one has solved the Lyoto Machida mystery yet in mixed martial arts. On Saturday night, it's challenger Mauricio (Shogun) Rua's turn to try.

The unbeaten Machida takes on the former Pride star at UFC 104 at the Staples Center (available on pay-per-view with some undercard bouts on Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET). It's the first defence of the UFC light-heavyweight title Machida ripped away from Rashad Evans at UFC 98 in May, dispatching Evans quickly and brutally in the second round.

The elusive Brazilian southpaw, who has built an MMA fortress around his karate base, has stumped all comers.

"There's no puzzle like Machida," said middleweight Chael Sonnen.

"He is an unbelievable, amazing defensive fighter that's got cat-like reflexes," said Javier Mendez, who coaches heavyweight Cain Velasquez and seen Machida close up at the American Kickboxing Academy. "He appears to be easy to hit but he's really really not.

"I think the more people see of Machida, the more they're going to respect him and realize that this guy is unbelievably great."

How great? To start with, the 31-year-old Brazilian is 15-0 as a pro fighter and has never been knocked down. He is 7-0 in the UFC and has yet to lose a round in the Octagon.

Machida, who at six foot one is modestly sized for a light-heavyweight, has absorbed fewer strikes than any other fighter in UFC history (among those with at least five bouts).

His unmarked face tells the story. He has a small scar above his left eye but he got that when he fell down the stairs at age four. The only other mark that betrays his chosen profession are his ears, mangled slightly from years of wrestling.

When it comes to attack, Machida is second only to middleweight champion Anderson Silva in striking accuracy. Machida has a 65 per cent hit rate, compared to the fighter average of 35 per cent.

Only welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is better at resisting takedown attempts than Machida (84 per cent).

The bottom line? Machida is hard to hit and rarely misses himself. The bookies have made him more than a 4-1 favourite against Rua.

Machida had beaten B.J. Penn and Rich Franklin prior to entering the UFC. He kept winning in the Octagon but was labelled as dull after winning three of his first four UFC bouts by decision.

He fought just once in 2008, doing the UFC a solid by sending disgruntled former champion Tito Ortiz packing on a loss at UFC 84. Ortiz, since welcomed back to the organization, was on the last fight of his contract at the time and the UFC was tired of his antics.

Criticized by some for a peekaboo style, Machida stepped up his game in 2009, showing savage finishing skills in dispatching the previously unbeaten Thiago Silva and Evans.

He manhandled Silva, who previously had been a predator in the cage. After a clinch at the fence, Machida hurled Silva to the ground and then knocked him out with a brutal punch to the chin.

Machida hurt Evans with a straight left and pounced, firing more than 30 strikes in some 30 seconds at the dazed champion. Machida eventually connected flush with a left to the chin and Evans toppled at the fence as if his legs had suddenly been removed.

"He's so technical, so proficient at what he does, very elusive," said light-heavyweight Razak Al-Hassan.

Machida moves effortlessly in the ring, ghosting in to attack or disappearing when his opponent tries to strike. He is adept at tripping opponents, has punishing kicks and a straight left that is hard to detect.

Machida comes from Belem, a small city in northern Brazil, and co-manager Jorge Guimaraes says he has become an idol there. The subsequent spotlight prompted Machida to move his training camp for this fight to the family farm, to escape the attention.

"He brought a lot of light into that city, that had nothing happening," Guimaraes explained. "And all of a sudden, he's overwhelmed with that success. He lives a very peaceful life, he meditates. So he was a little bit overwhelmed with all the success but I think it's sinking in."

"He's definitely the same guy," he added. "His family always kept him grounded. It's all about roots with Lyoto."

His motivation now is his legacy, to be seen as one of the best fighters of all-time, says co-manager Ed Soares.

Machida, who is married with a son, takes his duties as champion seriously. He is working on his English and showed up at Thursday's news conference in a suit.

He has been groomed for the role all his life, starting his karate studies when he was three.

The Machida family is like a fighting corporation, with his father at the helm. Yoshizo Machida came to Brazil from Japan when he was 22 to test his karate skills. Just five foot six, he adapted his own form of karate to combat bigger men.

Machida's style is based on his family's brand of karate, which is all about defence. It harkens back to olden days when warriors fought with swords. One hit could cause death.

That's why we have a very elusive game of not getting touched," explains Yoshizo Machida.

Lyoto Machida has travelled the world to add to his arsenal -- wrestling in Japan, Muay Thai in Thailand, even sumo.

He was a Brazilian and Pan-American karate champion and finished third at the world championship.

Two of his brothers -- he is the second youngest -- also have black belts in karate while the third has a brown belt. Brother Shinzo is also an MMA teacher and fighter. Another brother helps run the family MMA academy while his youngest brother is a successful TV reporter.

Machida Sr. runs a tight ship. Guimaraes recalls arriving at Belem at a time when Lyoto showed up five minutes later for training. His father made him sit down against the wall for a half-hour.

Lyoto Machida has never had a job other than fighting, apart from working at his father's mixed martial arts academy. He started training karate at the age of three and has always want to be a fighter.

Soares also handles Silva and says Machida is more reserved and conservative than his fellow Brazilian and 185-pound king. "A great guy with great family values," he says of Machida.

Guimaraes and Soares knew Machida was special when they signed him.

"I knew that he was going to be a great fighter simply because of how dedicated and how focused he is," he said.

Silva will be in Machida's corner Saturday night for the fight with Rua (18-3). Silva has fought successfully at 205 pounds and a Silva-Machida fight would be a blockbuster.

The Machida-Silva camp says it will never happen. UFC president Dana White says stay tuned.

The two friends have sparred together. "It's a ballet of violence," Soares said with a smile, referencing a famous quote by UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

"They go at it. They hit each other and kick each other with love."

NOTES --The UFC has given 3,300 tickets out for free for this card ... Welteweight Thiago Alves will meet Jon Fitch at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis. ... UFC president Dana White says he has a meeting with Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell in the next two weeks to figure out the former 205-pound champion's future. ... Soares says he hopes Silva will be back from elbow surgery in January. But Dan Henderson seems out of the picture as an opponent after hitting a contract impasse with the UFC.