UFC 130 Results See Quinton Jackson Handily Defeat Matt Hamill, Does He Deserve The Shot Against Jon Jones?
Quinton Jackson has heard the rumors just like everyone else. He knew that a win over Matt Hamill would in all likelihood lead to a light heavyweight championship fight against Jon Jones at some point this year. And to his credit, he put on one of his better performances in recent memory.
Hamill needed this fight to establish himself as a light heavyweight fighter in UFC. Jackson knew that this fight was his ticket to a big money match against arguably the biggest star in UFC right now. And Jackson fought like he had a lot more to lose, because he did.
UFC president Dana White was non-committal about a title shot for Rampage, but he did make a case for him in an interview with Ariel Helwani (via MMAFighting.com):
“Who out there doesn’t think Rampage is one of the best 205-pound fighters?”
There are few fighters that boast a resume as accomplished as Quinton Jackson, but lately he has left a lot to be desired in the octagon. His fight against Rashad Evans was for the most part dull, and he lost a three round decision. His fight against Lyoto Machida was a little better, but Machida looked like the better fighter after three rounds despite losing the decision.
But Jackson made a clear statement in this fight. He proved that he is still very much invested in his fighting career. He proved that he is still one of the better light heavyweight fighters in the world when he wants to be. He proved that he has the defense to stop a world class wrestler over the course of a three round fight.
Jackson needed this win to prove to himself that he still had what it takes to compete at a high level against a hungry and eager young star. He got exactly what he needed by defeating Hamill, and now he has a chance to shock the world by defeating Jones for the light heavyweight title.