Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is finally returning to Japan and fighting in what could be considered home when talking about his MMA career.It is only fitting that he is on the card, and when he does finish the fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 144, he needs…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is finally returning to Japan and fighting in what could be considered home when talking about his MMA career.
It is only fitting that he is on the card, and when he does finish the fight against Ryan Bader at UFC 144, he needs to call it a career. Jackson is a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame and has had an incredible career.
He was able to unify the Pride and UFC title when he beat Dan Henderson and knocked out Chuck Liddell in the UFC in their rematch.
Still, he isn’t the fighter he once was, and while he is still in his physical prime there are several factors which point to this being the perfect time for him to bow out.
UFC 144 will take place this Saturday, February 25 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Headlining the card will be a lightweight title bout that will see Frankie Edgar attempt to defend his title against former WEC lightweight champio…
UFC 144 will take place this Saturday, February 25 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Headlining the card will be a lightweight title bout that will see Frankie Edgar attempt to defend his title against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Also appearing on the card will be former UFC champion and Pride favorite, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who will meet Ryan Bader in the evening’s co-main event.
Below you will find early odds as well as a full list of the fights that will take place at UFC 144.
Main Card Odds:
Frankie Edgar (-135) favorite over Benson Henderson (+105)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (-240) favorite over Ryan Bader (+190)
Cheick Kongo (-280) favorite over Mark Hunt (+210)
Anthony Pettis (-240) favorite over Joe Lauzon (+190)
This Saturday night, one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year goes down in Japan at UFC 144. In the main event, Frankie Edgar faces off against Benson Henderson for the lightweight title. In the co-main event, Rampage Jackson faces Ryan Bader…
This Saturday night, one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year goes down in Japan at UFC 144. In the main event, Frankie Edgar faces off against Benson Henderson for the lightweight title. In the co-main event, Rampage Jackson faces Ryan Bader, and in the fight before that, Cheick Kongo faces Mark Hunt.
This is one of the most stacked cards that the UFC has ever put together, and there are even going to be seven fights on the main card.
However, there is one fight that stands out as your potential “show stealer,” and that fight is a lightweight matchup featuring the final WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis against arguably the most exciting lightweight fighter, Joe Lauzon.
The fight between these two will kick off the seven-fight main card, and it is sure to be an all-out, non-stop war.
Pettis is 14-2 in his MMA career, with a Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night award. But he’s probably most known for the “Showtime” Kick.
He has finished 11 of his 14 opponents, and the only three to make it to a decision were Benson Henderson, Jeremy Stephens—in a fight where Pettis wanted to show off his wrestling—and an opponent on the regional scene.
Pettis is one of the most exciting fighters the lightweight division has to offer, and that is due in large part to his outstanding kicking game.
As evidenced by the Showtime kick, he is a very creative striker, but he has much more than just that.
Pettis has thrown spinning back kicks, jumping kicks and kicks off the ground. He can do it all when it comes to kicking.
In addition to that, Pettis has one of the most active guards in MMA, and will never stop looking for armbars or triangles. He even has three of his wins via triangle choke.
The other half of this fight features Joe Lauzon, who also has a case for being one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division.
Lauzon has won eight fight night bonuses—five Submission of the Night and three Fight of the Night—in his UFC tenure, which has been 11 fights.
Lauzon has wins over an impressive array of names, including Jens Pulver, Melvin Guillard, Mike Brown and Gabe Ruediger.
But, perhaps the most impressive fact about Lauzon, is that not a single one of his victories has gone to the judges’ scorecards.
All 21 of his victories have come via finish. He has four (T)KO victories, and 17 submission victories.
In fact, Lauzon has only gone to the judges once in his entire career, when he lost a unanimous decision to Sam Stout in 2010.
You can be sure that this fight isn’t going to go the distance, and you can be sure that someone will be walking away with a fight night bonus.
This fight is a great way to kick off the seven fight main card in Japan.
UFC 144 goes down on Saturday, February 25 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @TimMcTiernan.
UFC 144 marks the first event in the Zuffa era to take place live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and comes to the world live this Saturday night on PPV with prelims on FX and a Facebook-only bout between “The Mongolian Wolf” Tiequan Zh…
UFC 144 marks the first event in the Zuffa era to take place live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and comes to the world live this Saturday night on PPV with prelims on FX and a Facebook-only bout between “The Mongolian Wolf” Tiequan Zhang and Issei Tamura.
The card features Japanese talent such as Yoshihiro Akiyama, Yushin Okami, Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, and Hatsu Hioki, among others, and also features a headliner of Benson Henderson vs. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar with a co-headliner of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Ryan Bader.
As we begin the most anticipated fight week of 2012 so far, there are a few things you need to know about the card…
(All predictions are final except wherever otherwise noted)
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, th…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.
Next Saturday, the UFC returns to the “Land of the Rising Sun” to put on a stacked card at UFC 144. Japan was the Mecca of MMA at one point in time, hosting Pride FC, which was the premiere organization in the world. Now, the UFC is going back to the Saitama Super Arena to put on one of the biggest shows of the year so far.
Headlined by the lightweight championship on the line, the rest of the main card is filled with exciting fights. But the one that may carries just as much importance as the title fight is the bout between Jake Shields and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
In the blue corner you have Jake Shields. An American jiu-jitsu fighter looking to bounce back from two losses, Shields now is at a point where he desperately needs a win. With his fame and popularity, it is not likely he will be cut if he loses against Akiyama, but having three losses in a row puts you very far away from attaining a title shot.
In the red corner you have Yoshihiro Akiyama. The Asian superstar will be making his welterweight debut after losing three in a row at middleweight. An excellent striker and Judo practitioner, Akiyama will be looking for success at the new weight, and will avoid a dangerous situation in his career as well.
It’s rare for a fighter not to be cut after three losses, so taking a fourth loss might send Akiyama on his way out of the UFC. On the other hand, he has a big draw in the Asian public, and keeping him around might be another Dan Hardy situation where his ethnicity helps keep him afloat.
This fight will be determined on whether they fight mostly standing or mostly on the ground. If it stays standing, Akiyama holds a distinct advantage in the striking game. His judo should help him in close quarters, especially if Shields decides to try to take him down from a clinch or cage position.
If this fight goes to the ground, Shields will have the upper hand. Akiyama is no slouch on the ground, but Shields’ skills are superior.
Shields’ fusion of wrestling and no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu will be the biggest challenge for “Sexyama.” Having the ability to control his opponents on the ground and finish them in stunning technical fashion, Shields is one of the most dangerous guys once it hits the mat.
The question will be how both of these fighters bounce back from multiple losses and how Akiyama will fare at the new weight class. Both have the skills and technique to make this an exciting fight, and with so much on the line, it should live up to the hype.
Prediction: Jake Shields wins via submission late in the first round or midway through the second.
The second time could be the charm if Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets his way. Despite losing to Jon Jones at UFC 135, the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s determination hasn’t wavered. He still believes he’ll be champion again someday, regardles…
The second time could be the charm if Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets his way.
Despite losing to Jon Jones at UFC 135, the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s determination hasn’t wavered.
He still believes he’ll be champion again someday, regardless of who’s holding the title.
In a special blog for Yahoo! Sports, Jackson talks about the loss to Jones, his return to Japan and his upcoming bout against Ryan Bader.
“I still think I can win my title back, and I still think I can even win it back from Jon Jones, but I would have to execute the game plan. Jones was very good on the night. He did what he had to with his style and stopped me doing what I needed to do. Respect to him.”
Jackson, who has been criticized in the past for a lack of motivation, poured his heart and pocket into training for the Jones bout. It’s rumored the former Pride star spent a whopping $1 million on his training camp for the bout.
Unfortunately, none of it was enough to deter Jones, who is easily one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
“I worked so hard for the Jones fight in September. I trained my ass off. As I said before the fight, I was in the best shape of my life, but in the octagon, I didn’t perform like I should have done. It is frustrating for me, and I feel bad for all my team who got me ready for that Jon Jones fight. I still want my belt back. I will always think of that belt as mine, even when I’m an old, bald wrinkled ass man. I’m very, very proud of unifying that UFC belt with the Pride belt, and for that reason, a little bit of me will always think of that belt as belonging to me.”
Jackson wasn’t able to come away with the win, but he should at least be able to take a moral victory away from the experience. Jones has virtually destroyed every light heavyweight in his path, but out of the fallen, Jackson, who was submitted by Jones in the fourth round, managed to survive the longest.
A rematch against Jones could be in Jackson’s future, but it would be unwise to look past Bader, a former top-10 light heavyweight. Jackson and Bader are slated to do battle at UFC 144 on February 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
“Nothin’ is promised to no one. I should beat Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan next Saturday––and I plan on knocking his ass out in front of my Japanese fans––but I’ve put in the work in the gym to make sure I do that. I get to fight in Japan for the first time in six years. It’s no secret I love Japan. Japan is where I became an MMA fighter. It is where I made a name for myself and learned how to kick ass. The fans there are so respectful. I can’t wait to perform for them again. I really, really want a sick knockout for them, and maybe even I’ll do my powerbomb if Bader is dumb enough to give me the chance.”
This Saturday night, one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year goes down in Japan at