UFC 130 Rampage vs Hamill : Do or Die for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has had one of the greatest careers in MMA history.He burst on to the Pride scene and took it by storm, starting his career with an impressive 19-3 record. Rampage is best known for his “powerbomb” slam against Ricardo Arona a…

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has had one of the greatest careers in MMA history.

He burst on to the Pride scene and took it by storm, starting his career with an impressive 19-3 record. Rampage is best known for his “powerbomb” slam against Ricardo Arona at Pride Critical Countdown 2004. 

Rampage defeated Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He has posted a 6-2 record inside the UFC.

However, to many observers, Jackson hasn’t been “Rampage” since defeating The Iceman.

In the past couple of years, Rampage has been a very marketable person. His personality is very likable and this has led to endorsement and movie deals. 

As his showbiz career was taking off, Rampage faced Rashad Evans and put on arguably the worst performance of his career in a decision loss.

Weeks after that, it was announced that he would face Lyoto Machida at UFC 123. Leading up to that fight, Rampage stated that he was going to be the old Rampage. When it came time for the fight, he walked out to the Pride promotion’s old theme song, and you could see the hunger in his eyes. For the first two rounds, Rampage controlled the pace and out-struck Machida, as well as scoring a couple of takedowns. In the end, Rampage received the split-decision win. 

At UFC 130, Rampage will meet up-and-coming Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. This fight has a lot riding on it. With a win, Rampage will be one step closer to facing Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship. If he loses, Hamill would move into that role, and Rampage might never receive another title shot under the UFC banner. 

Hamill has the opportunity to not only defeat a legend, but break into the top 10 and be taken seriously as a title contender. With a loss, Rampage would start to take the path of many Pride veterans, but a win will keep him going.

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The 5 Worst Main Events Since UFC 100

Originally this list was supposed to be The Worst Main Events in UFC History, but as soon as I started going back and doing some research I realized that the quality of main events has gotten worse and worse.To be honest, none of these fights was quite…

Originally this list was supposed to be The Worst Main Events in UFC History, but as soon as I started going back and doing some research I realized that the quality of main events has gotten worse and worse.

To be honest, none of these fights was quite as bad as Arlovski-Sylvia 3 or Shamrock-Severn 2, but the percentage of big fights that are underperforming is astounding. 

So before we get into the list, I’m going to ask the million-dollar question: Is MMA less entertaining than it used to be? 

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Five Things Miguel Torres Must Do to Beat Demetrious Johnson

Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:UFC 130 is only a few weeks away, but already the card is shaping up to be one of the most solid nights of fights in recent history–only another great card to add on to what the UFC has already put on in 2011.On the …

Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:

UFC 130 is only a few weeks away, but already the card is shaping up to be one of the most solid nights of fights in recent history–only another great card to add on to what the UFC has already put on in 2011.

On the Spike TV card, which also features Rick Story facing Thiago Alves, Miguel Angel Torres will look to extend his streak in the UFC to 2-0 at Demetrious Johnson, who has a great Wrestling base and has been known to be very explosive when he lays in some shots.

Torres is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion with great striking, long limbs, and some very good Jiu-Jitsu, but without question Johnson poses one of the toughest threats to date for Torres.

So what does he have to do to beat Mighty Mouse?

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Early Fight Breakdown and Predictions

Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:UFC 130 is the unfortunate card that gets to follow the great UFC 129 event. UFC 130 features a lot of good fighters, including some on the undercard like Thiago Alves.UFC 130 will showcase the rematch between Gray Mayn…

Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:

UFC 130 is the unfortunate card that gets to follow the great UFC 129 event. UFC 130 features a lot of good fighters, including some on the undercard like Thiago Alves.

UFC 130 will showcase the rematch between Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar. At UFC 125 these two fighters fought valiantly to a draw and now Maynard will get yet another shot at the lightweight title.

So with all the great matchups and fighters on the UFC 130 card, who wins and who loses?

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UFC 130: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard Breakdowns and Predictions

Bleacher Report’s James Ryan:They say that three times is a charm, although I’m not exactly sure who “they” are… Perhaps they are gypsies? Or fortune tellers? Or Bas Rutten in the flesh?I don’t really know, but I do know that the current UFC…

Bleacher Report’s James Ryan:

They say that three times is a charm, although I’m not exactly sure who “they” are…

Perhaps they are gypsies? Or fortune tellers? Or Bas Rutten in the flesh?

I don’t really know, but I do know that the current UFC Lightweight Champion, Frankie “the Answer” Edgar, had better hope that luck is on his side on the 28th of May, when he is set to face-off for the third time in his professional MMA career (second time consecutively) against his old nemesis, Gray “the Bully” Maynard, at UFC 130 in Las Vegas.

After two previous meetings, it is apparent that Maynard holds the advantage against Edgar, despite fighting to what was a very exciting draw at UFC 125. The first encounter between these two warriors was approximately three years ago at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon, which saw Maynard win via unanimous decision (hence the edge).

Edgar has yet to redeem that loss, and like any competitive athlete, I would have to think that it weighs heavily on his mind from time to time (yeah…that’s an understatement).

If Edgar plans to retain his belt for a third successive title defense, he had better hope for a better game plan than simply surviving the first round. As impressive as Edgar was for weathering the storm, I wouldn’t think that he would be so lucky a second time around.

If he finds himself in trouble again like the last time, I don’t see this fight going the full distance—a rarity for both fighters.

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Can Frankie Edgar Avenge His Only Career Loss?

Bleacher Report’s Robert Gardner:UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will meet Gray “The Bully” Maynard for a third time on May 28. Not only will Edgar be looking to defend his UFC title but he will also be looking to finally avenge …

Bleacher Report’s Robert Gardner:

UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will meet Gray “The Bully” Maynard for a third time on May 28. Not only will Edgar be looking to defend his UFC title but he will also be looking to finally avenge his only career loss.

Edgar and Maynard first met back in April 2008 with Maynard picking up the win via unanimous decision. After that loss, Edgar went on a tear, winning his next three fights and earning a shot at then-UFC Lightweight Champion, BJ Penn.

Is a stunning upset, Edgar defeated Penn at UFC 112 then drove the point home by dominating the legend in his first title defense at UFC 118.

Edgar then met Maynard for the second time at UFC 125. After Edgar fought his way out of trouble in the first round, the two would battle back and forth leaving the judges no other choice but to rule the epic battle a draw.

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