Bleacher Report’s Jordy McElroy:There is sure to be plenty of criticism about the upcoming UFC 130 fight card.With the lightweight title rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard scrapped due to injuries, the card doesn’t really have that …
Bleacher Report’s Jordy McElroy:
There is sure to be plenty of criticism about the upcoming UFC 130 fight card.
With the lightweight title rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard scrapped due to injuries, the card doesn’t really have that standout fight worthy of headlining a UFC pay-per-view.
With that said, this is still an incredible card full of exciting style match-ups.
Critics may down the card for not boasting a significant main event, but these are usually the kind of cards that end up being the most exciting. It’s extremely rare that stacked cards like UFC 129 lives up to the monumental hype that it did.
We are less than two weeks away from UFC 130, which takes place in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Here are five key questions heading into the event.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:After suffering an injury during training camp, UFC lightweight Mac Danzig has been forced to withdraw from his bout against former WEC star, Donald Cerrone at UFC 131. The news became official earlier this week, courte…
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:
After suffering an injury during training camp, UFC lightweight Mac Danzig has been forced to withdraw from his bout against former WEC star, Donald Cerrone at UFC 131. The news became official earlier this week, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com.
As a result, UFC newcomer Vagner Rocha will replace Danzig.
The Brazilian has fought professionally since 2009, competing under multiple organizations such as Bellator Fighting Championship and Strikeforce. Holding a professional record of 6-1-0, Rocha is still relatively young in his mixed martial arts career, but he will certainly want to prove he is a competitor when he is slated to make his Octagon debut in June.
Cerrone, a former lightweight contender in the WEC, will look to continue his winning streak in the UFC. In his debut at UFC 126, Cerrone picked up a victory over Paul Kelly via rear naked choke, in addition to receiving “Submission of the Night” honours. Cerrone was one of the top lightweight contenders in the WEC and he will look to make a similar impression in the UFC lightweight division.
Quinton Jackson, the man dubbed Rampage, was once one of the most feared mixed martial artists at 205 pounds. His trademark howl was accompanied by slams that once knocked out Ricardo Arona at Pride Critical Countdown 2004 on June 20 of that year. His …
Quinton Jackson, the man dubbed Rampage, was once one of the most feared mixed martial artists at 205 pounds. His trademark howl was accompanied by slams that once knocked out Ricardo Arona at Pride Critical Countdown 2004 on June 20 of that year. His wrestling was relentless and he had no doubt power in both fists that knocked out the likes of Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Kevin Randleman, just to name a few.
However, that was then and this is now. I used to love Rampage. When he was signed to the UFC back in 2006, I was ecstatic. I immediately thought about a rematch with Chuck Liddell and was thinking world championships for him in the most prominent mixed martial arts organization in the world.
He did win the light heavyweight title at the expense of Chuck Liddell in their rematch of their Pride meeting back in 2007 at UFC 71, which saw Jackson knock Liddell out in the first round to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Title. He then went on to defend it once against Dan Henderson in a historical battle that saw him unify the UFC and Pride Light Heavyweight Championships in a hard fought five round battle at UFC 75 in London, England. He then lost it to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 on July 5, 2008.
Since then, Rampage has faded. He went on to avenge his two losses against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 in December of 2008 with a first round knockout, however since then, where is he?
He fought Keith Jardine at UFC 96 and won a three-round decision. Then, went on to lose a decision to Rashad Evans, a fight that was long-awaited and one of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history. In between that time, Jackson starred in the A-Team movie.
That’s where it all went wrong. Jackson has since then stated that acting is his next career choice, and quite frankly, mixed martial arts isn’t that important to him anymore. He has explicitly stated that when movies start paying him as much as MMA does, he’s done.
Really Jackson? You’re going to leave behind what has made you famous and what the fans love you for? I don’t look down on you because you want to act. I do because of how you’re going about the rest of your career.
In the cage, it’s showing that you simply don’t care anymore. You say that you’re just here to get paid, well you’re doing a great job of living up to that. The very reason they call you Rampage, the slams, the power, the knockouts, they aren’t there anymore. You fought a lackluster fight against Evans, one which you were supposed to go and annihilate the man you hate. You fought another lackluster fight against Machida, and won a decision that many thought you lost.
You don’t like it when journalists press you with hard questions, you aren’t as engaged in MMA interviews as you once were and you simply don’t seem that interested in talking about your fights. You say it’s about the money now, you say that you’re only here to fight and leave, and you’re showing it.
I find it hard for myself to continue to be a fan of you. I love this sport and I love fighters who love the sport just as much as I do. You just don’t anymore and you’re no longer the Rampage that I started to like years ago. You’re no longer the Rampage that came into the UFC in 2007 after tearing the ring apart in Pride. You’re no longer the Rampage that came into knockout people and win titles and fight to be the very best. Simply put, you’re no longer Rampage.
Now that you’ve recently come out and said you’ve only got a couple of more years left in the sport and you plan on retiring for good at age 35, I suppose we’ll never see the Rampage that we all have come to love. It’s sad, but I suppose we have to move on just as much you have.
Bleacher Report’s MMA News recap for Wednesday May 18:Kimbo Slice to try his hand(s) at boxing?American Top Team looking for top level wrestlers.Carlos Condit looking for challenges at welterweight.Jake Ellenberger feels that he can beat Jake Shields.C…
Bleacher Report’s MMA News recap for Wednesday May 18:
Kimbo Slice to try his hand(s) at boxing?
American Top Team looking for top level wrestlers.
Carlos Condit looking for challenges at welterweight.
Jake Ellenberger feels that he can beat Jake Shields.
Chael Sonnen’s suspension with the CSAC stands.
Nick Diaz as a pulp fiction detective.
Junior dos Santos talks Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.
Matt Hamill relishes the role of the underdog.
Quinton Jackson is not excited with his upcoming fight against Matt Hamill.
Amidst all the changes to the UFC 130 card, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson isn’t too pleased to be headlining against Matt Hamill, to say the least. “Matt Hamill wasn’t on my radar at all,” Jackson said to Ariel Helwani on The …
Amidst all the changes to the UFC 130 card, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson isn’t too pleased to be headlining against Matt Hamill, to say the least.
“Matt Hamill wasn’t on my radar at all,” Jackson said to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I wasn’t excited at all. But then again, not a whole lot gets me excited.”
Jackson’s original opponent, Thiago Silva, was forced to withdraw from the bout after testing positive for an illegal steroid following his bout with Brandon Vera at UFC 125.
The decision left Silva suspended for a year and Jackson without an opponent.
When it was announced that Hamill was Silva’s replacement, the response didn’t necessarily generate a lot of anticipation.
In contrast to Jackson’s comments, Hamill has said he plans to break his opponent’s will—something that Jackson believes Hamill is only saying to convince himself.
“He’s just got to jive himself up so he actually thinks he can stay with me. If you’ve seen my fights over history, I don’t think my will gets broken too often for anybody to even say that,” he said.
“He’s got a while to go before he can say he can break anybody’s will.”
However, whether Jackson cares to fight Hamill or not, those are the cards he’s been dealt.
Hamill’s style might not excite Jackson, but the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion said he plans to put on a good performance for the fans.
“I just know that I plan to go out there and be very aggressive and very exciting,” Jackson said.
Since stepping in for Thiago Silva, Matt Hamill has been relishing the opportunity to face Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 131.Although Hamill is not the opponent that most fans or Jackson would have expected, he said he is just fine with being an und…
Since stepping in for Thiago Silva, Matt Hamill has been relishing the opportunity to face Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 131.
Although Hamill is not the opponent that most fans or Jackson would have expected, he said he is just fine with being an underdog.
“Everyone thinks I’m not ready for Rampage,” Hamill said during a UFC 130 interview, courtesy of YouTube.
Hamill has gone an impressive win streak as of late, picking up five of his last six wins over such fighters as Tito Ortiz, Mark Munoz and Keith Jardine.
After defeating Ortiz, Hamill was deserving of a formidable opponent in his next bout, and it just so happens that his next opponent is Jackson, one of the most durable figters in the UFC light heavyweight division.
No one said it would be easy, but then again no one is giving Hamill much of a chance against Jackson.
However, Hamill believes he has as good a chance as anybody, and said he will not play into his opponent’s strengths.
“Everyone knows his gameplan. He doesn’t change. He loves to strike,” Hamill said of Jackson’s style.
“I got my mind open and I’m going to go out there and fight real smart and I’m going to avoid his knockout power.”
Since holding notable victories over fighters like Ortiz and Jardine, if Hamill is able to pull off a victory over Jackson, he said he would be right in line to receive a title shot.
“He’s the one so close to being a contender. So I feel like I want to be ready to be the contender,” Hamill stated.
After suffering an injury during training camp, UFC lightweight Mac Danzig has been forced to withdraw from his bout against former WEC star, Donald Cerrone at 