(That logo is either a pun on “coke head,” “cock head,” or “head cook.” Whatever the case, he has it tattooed on his arm as well, and if I ever see him in person, I’m not gonna say shit about it. / Props: @NEWBREED04)
Though both fighters are now coming off of injury layoffs, Koch’s return to action at UFC 153 will mark the end of a 13-month hiatus — an eternity in fighter-time. And now he’ll be challenging Aldo in the hippo-infested waters of the HSBC, instead of the neutral grounds of Calgary. Yikes. Just do your best, Erik.
(That logo is either a pun on “coke head,” “cock head,” or “head cook.” Whatever the case, he has it tattooed on his arm as well, and if I ever see him in person, I’m not gonna say shit about it. / Props: @NEWBREED04)
Though both fighters are now coming off of injury layoffs, Koch’s return to action at UFC 153 will mark the end of a 13-month hiatus — an eternity in fighter-time. And now he’ll be challenging Aldo in the hippo-infested waters of the HSBC, instead of the neutral grounds of Calgary. Yikes. Just do your best, Erik.
The original main event for this Saturday’s UFC 149 was to be a featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch. An injury to Aldo derailed that fight, but it looks like the bout is back on and scheduled to be the mai…
The original main event for this Saturday’s UFC 149 was to be a featherweight title bout between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch. An injury to Aldo derailed that fight, but it looks like the bout is back on and scheduled to be the main event when the UFC returns to Brazil in October.
The fight, which is expected to take place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, was confirmed by MMAWeekly.
The injury was the second time that Aldo (21-1) had to put off a UFC title fight. The first saw his UFC debut delayed for several months when a neck injury knocked him from the UFC 125 fight card.
When he did make his debut with the organization, he successfully defended the title and earned “Fight of the Night” honors by defeating Mark Hominick at UFC 129.
Since then, he has defended his title two additional times, defeating Kenny Florian and Chad Mendes. The victory over Mendes extended Aldo’s winning streak to 14 consecutive fights.
Koch (13-1) is in the midst of a four-fight winning streak, with two of those fights coming within the UFC. The title fight is a huge opportunity for Koch, who grabbed the bull by the horns when then top-ranked featherweight Hatsu Hioki passed on a shot at facing Aldo for the title.
UFC 153 will take place on October 13 and, at this time, also features what may be Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s last fight in the UFC when he meets the highly touted Glover Teixeira.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been a little bit of a personal relations nightmare for himself, in terms of some of his actions inside and outside the Octagon. Let’s face it, Jackson is as enigmatic as they get, the Randy Moss of the UFC—one could…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been a little bit of a personal relations nightmare for himself, in terms of some of his actions inside and outside the Octagon. Let’s face it, Jackson is as enigmatic as they get, the Randy Moss of the UFC—one could say—and he’s always been that way.
Despite recent events, Jackson has to have earned some brownie points with even his most critical detractors today.
No, he isn’t signing a contract extension with the UFC, and yes, he wasn’t happy fighting boring wrestlers, but Jackson signed on for a fight that nobody else in the light heavyweight division really wants, and any fight fan out there has to respect that.
Jackson has accepted a fight with UFC newcomer, but MMA veteran, Glover Teixeira, as reported by Globo earlier today.
Teixeira (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has 15 finishes in what is now a 16-fight winning streak, with his latest a submission victory over Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 146. He is a very solid fighter with few holes in his game and is looking to make waves in the UFC after a long career in smaller promotions. Jackson and Teixeira are scheduled to do battle at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
UFC president Dana White offered the Teixeira fight to Mauricio Rua, who flat-out turned it down, according to White.
“[Shogun Rua] said he would actually rather be cut than have to fight [Glover Teixeira]. Dude, nobody wants to fight this guy. Nobody wants to fight this guy,” White told Ariel Helwani from FuelTV. “I’ve never seen a guy at the level Shogun is at not want to fight a guy so bad.”
Teixeira is a guy with the skills and record to challenge for the light heavyweight belt, but he doesn’t have the name recognition because of having fought outside the UFC for so long.
The UFC light heavies don’t want to fight him because a win over him won’t change their status in the fans’ eyes, and a loss would be terrible, but a likely possibility.
According to Jackson, the last fight on his UFC contract is the last fight fans will see of him inside the Octagon. Fighting a guy like Teixeira as a final fight is great for the UFC, a step in the right direction for Teixeira and definitely fan friendly. For Jackson, on the other hand, there isn’t much upside to the fight.
If Teixeira beats Jackson, he’ll automatically bolster his name value amongst fans and get pretty close to a crack at Jon Jones’ light heavyweight belt. The UFC builds a new challenger, and they can be content that Jackson leaves the UFC on a loss against an opponent with no name.
Should Jackson win, it does nothing for him besides start a win streak, and for the UFC, it’s not so bad because it’s not like Rampage beating one of their biggest draws in the division and leaving.
I’d imagine Jackson took this fight not because of the fighter, but because of the style of fight he thinks he’ll have with Teixeira and the fact that he wants to finish his UFC contract and move on.
Teixeira isn’t the kind of fighter who will lay on Jackson for three rounds; he’ll look to finish the fight, and those are the kinds of guys with whom Jackson wants to scrap. It’s probably one of the reasons why he was lobbying for the Rua rematch so much: He wants to fight guys who go out on their shields.
I think Teixeira is going to be a tough fight for Jackson, and he very well could be leaving the UFC on a three-fight losing streak, not exactly a great bargaining chip to show future bosses.
In any case, I think Jackson regains some respect by taking this fight. Not many guys wanted to fight Teixeira, but Jackson manned up and decided he’ll fight the tough fight.
Leon Horne enjoys all sports and has a particular interest in MMA; give him a follow on Twitter for more information and keep an eye out for interesting interviews and news, Follow @Leon_Horne
The Quinton “Rampage” Jackson drama with the UFC will soon be coming to an end.Not too long after it was announced Shogun Rua had turned down a fight with Glover Teixeira, Teixeira has been tagged as Rampage’s likely final UFC opponent.MMAweekly report…
The Quinton “Rampage” Jackson drama with the UFC will soon be coming to an end.
Not too long after it was announced Shogun Rua had turned down a fight with Glover Teixeira, Teixeira has been tagged as Rampage’s likely final UFC opponent.
MMAweekly reported that Rampage Jackson is set to meet the well-traveled veteran at UFC 153, scheduled for October 13th from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Rampage is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his MMA career at the hands of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones at UFC 135 and Ryan Bader at UFC 144. Jackson was briefly linked to a match-up with Shogun, but decided to have surgery on both his knees.
To many, Teixeira might seem like a newcomer, but the powerful Brazilian light heavyweight has been on the worldwide MMA scene since 2002. He made his highly anticipated UFC debut at UFC 146 in May with a very impressive first round submission victory over Kyle Kingsbury.
Rampage stated following his loss to Bader that he wants to be released from the UFC, but instead Jackson opted to finish out his current contract and fight once more for the company.
Who knows if Rampage will hold true to his word and leave the UFC following the fight, but either way, this fight will not be an easy one as Teixeira is riding a nice 16-fight winning streak and will be fighting in his home country of Brazil.
(See that couple sitting at the table in the background? Only one of them is excited to see a shirtless Rampage Jackson appear during the middle of their dinner. Seriously, click the photo for the full-size version and you’ll see what I mean. / Photo via @Rampage4Real)
After telling the UFC to kiss his ass in March, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will serve out the final fight on his contract at UFC 153 (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), according to new reports. No, he will not get a chance to settle an old grudge with Mauricio Rua or Forrest Griffin like he wanted to. In classic “lose-lose” booking, Jackson’s farewell UFC performance will come against Glover Teixeira, arguably the most dangerous light-heavyweight that only hardcore fans know about. And that’s what happens when you talk shit about your employers, kids.
(See that couple sitting at the table in the background? Only one of them is excited to see a shirtless Rampage Jackson appear during the middle of their dinner. Seriously, click the photo for the full-size version and you’ll see what I mean. / Photo via @Rampage4Real)
After telling the UFC to kiss his ass in March, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will serve out the final fight on his contract at UFC 153 (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), according to new reports. No, he will not get a chance to settle an old grudge with Mauricio Rua or Forrest Griffin like he wanted to. In classic “lose-lose” booking, Jackson’s farewell UFC performance will come against Glover Teixeira, arguably the most dangerous light-heavyweight that only hardcore fans know about. And that’s what happens when you talk shit about your employers, kids.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has been a little bit of a personal relations nightmare for himself, in terms of some of his actions inside and outside the Octagon. Let’s face it, Jackson is as enigmatic as they get, the Randy Moss of the UFC—one could say—and he’s always been that way.
