Rampage vs Silva 3 UFC 91

[mr. sin]

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...=6978&zoneid=3

Despite being currently entangled in the legal system, Quinton Jackson is forging on with his mixed martial arts career.

After losing the title at UFC 86 via a unanimous, but controversial, judges decision, Jackson will likely grace the UFC’s first Northwestern card in Portland, Ore. at UFC 91. No opponent has been named for the embattled former champ, but speculation has named Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as a possible draw. Jackson badly lost to Rua in his latter days with the Pride Fighting Championships, falling to strikes in the first round of their 2005 fight. The news comes from a report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports after speaking with UFC president Dana White.

Jackson on Tuesday was charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors by the Orange County District Attorney’s office for a July 15 hit-and-run incident on the streets of Costa Mesa. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison. A felony charge related to a female victim of the incident never materialized.

Holli Griggs was a passenger in one of the cars that Jackson sideswiped. Griggs was 16 weeks pregnant with a boy when she miscarried two weeks after the incident. Orange County DA spokeswoman Farrah Emami told MMAWeekly.com that a subsequent investigation of the miscarriage did not implicate Jackson.

“We reviewed all the medical records and spoke with the victim’s physician, and the evidence showed that the loss of the fetus was not related to or a result of the crash caused by the defendant.”

In comments made to Iole, White said he chose to use Jackson in the midst of his legal woes because his intentions weren’t malicious. “If he was doing drugs, if he had been drunk, if he had gone out there and done what he did because he was pissed off at someone, that would be a completely different story. But he was ill. And in this company, we support our friends and anyone who works for us when they’re ill and have problems. He was ill, the incident occurred, and now he’s fine.”

At the UFC 87 pre-fight press conference in Minneapolis, White told reporters that Jackson suffered from “delirium” brought on by days fueled solely by energy drinks and no sleep or food. Jackson made a brief appearance at the event, and in a video blog released by White around UFC 87, but has yet to open up to media about the event and its aftermath.

Jackson’s formal arraignment is on Thursday, when his lawyers will post a $25,000 bond to keep him a free man.

[Cromwell]

"White told reporters that Jackson suffered from “delirium” brought on by days fueled solely by energy drinks and no sleep or food"

Um - that's a legitimate excuse?

Gotta remember that one the next time I get in a jam . . .

[Awful Me]

I heard he was all jacked up on mountain dew.

[Capt.Caveman]

Quinton Jackson preparing for UFC 91 fight with Wanderlei Silva

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (28-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has begun preparations for a UFC 91 fight with Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC).

Sources within Jackson's new camp at the Wolfslair Academy tell MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Jackson has agreed to the Nov. 15 bout and has already begun a six-week fight camp with the U.K.-based team.

However, the UFC has yet to announce the bout, and neither fighter could publicly confirm the match-up.

The Jackson-Silva bout will likely serve as the co-main event to UFC 91's headline fight of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar. The fight card, which also includes Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson, takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

MMARated.com first reported earlier this month that the Jackson-Silva fight was close to being finalized.

Jackson, who faces two felony (and four misdemeanor) charges stemming from a July hit-and-run and subsequent police chase in California, will return to competition for the first time since the bizarre incident and his recent split with longtime trainer and friend Juanito Ibarra. Under Ibarra's guidance, Jackson had won six consecutive fights, which included a first-round TKO of then-champ Chuck Liddell in May 2007, before his May title loss to Forrest Griffin.

Jackson, who recently pleaded not guilty to the charges, is currently scheduled for a Nov. 3 court date at which time he'll learn whether or not he'll go to trial due to his recent arrest.

Silva, meanwhile, recently picked up his first UFC win in nine years when he defeated Keith Jardine in quick and brutal fashion at UFC 84. He needed just 36 seconds for the knockout victory.

Silva competed in some early UFC events before heading to PRIDE to become one of the organization's biggest stars and most recognizable champions. However, his final two fights in the Japanese-based organization were both losses -- to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Dan Henderson via knockouts -- and he stretched the losing streak to three straight when he dropped a unanimous decision to Liddell during his octagon return at UFC 79.

Silva owns two previous victories over Jackson -- one in 2003 and again in 2004 -- with both coming via knockout.

The winner of the Jackson-Silva fight will be in the thick of the UFC's light-heavyweight title picture, which also includes undefeated contender Lyoto Machida. However, Rashad Evans, fresh off a stunning knockout victory of Liddell, has been granted the first shot at Griffin's title. That bout is expected to take place later this year or in early 2009.

Tickets for UFC 91 go on sale to the UFC's fan club beginning Wednesday, and the general public can place its orders on Saturday.

[supers4972]

This one is gonna be a WAR

[sniper]

I've never looked so forward to a single card in my life.

Heavyweight Championship bout: Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
Light Heavyweight bout: Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson

Worth the PPV price alone.

However... Am I the only one that thinks there's some shenanigans going on with Randy coming back so... for lack of a better term, nonchalantly? I mean it seems a bit fishy that he comes back with 1 fight still left on his contract to fight the UFC's new poster boy, none other than the 2-1 Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title. Either that or I'm bothered by the fact that a guy with 3 pro fights could be champ. Don't get me wrong he impressed me in his fight with Herring as a guy that's learning quickly, but he hasn't proven he can finish a fight yet and with that, this just doesn't sit well with me.

[Hysterectomeal]

I'm surprised Rampage can even breath after eating so many knees in their second fight.

[Mule Juice]

Originally Posted by sniper

However... Am I the only one that thinks there's some shenanigans going on with Randy coming back so... for lack of a better term, nonchalantly? I mean it seems a bit fishy that he comes back with 1 fight still left on his contract to fight the UFC's new poster boy, none other than the 2-1 Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title. Either that or I'm bothered by the fact that a guy with 3 pro fights could be champ. Don't get me wrong he impressed me in his fight with Herring as a guy that's learning quickly, but he hasn't proven he can finish a fight yet and with that, this just doesn't sit well with me.

I think Randy just realized that the UFC can douche him by keeping him in court for the rest of his career, and he decided instead to fight his way out.

I think everyone can agree that Brock hasn't earned a title shot, but it should still be one hell of a fight. Brock is obviously lacking experience, but that beast still has a pretty good shot IMO.

I think Wanderlei is going to pummel Rampage, again.

I can't friggen wait to see UFC 91

[Gotti420]

Originally Posted by Hysterectomeal

I'm surprised Rampage can even breath after eating so many knees in their second fight.

that was a BRUTAL knockout. I hope Wandy does it again.

[nitron]

Originally Posted by Mule Juice

I think Randy just realized that the UFC can douche him by keeping him in court for the rest of his career, and he decided instead to fight his way out.

I think everyone can agree that Brock hasn't earned a title shot, but it should still be one hell of a fight. Brock is obviously lacking experience, but that beast still has a pretty good shot IMO.

Yeah Brock doesn't deserve a title shot so soon. But gotti420 pointed out that it could have been a pure business decision because of Lesnar's drawing power.

Originally Posted by Mule Juice

I think Wanderlei is going to pummel Rampage, again.

Who knows? Rampage might have some of that "UFC luck" given the record of Pride fighters coming to the octagon.

[TheTruth]

Originally Posted by nitron

Who knows? Rampage might have some of that "UFC luck" given the record of Pride fighters coming to the octagon.

You do realize that Rampage is a Pride fighter coming to the octagon.

[cigarsandscotch]

What are you talking about, Brock Lesner is the NEXT BIG THING!

[sniper]

So, it looks like they're fucking with this awesome card already. So much for the "Best card ever" I take it back, it will need another good matchup.

http://mmamania.com/2008/09/24/quint...pen-at-ufc-93/

The blockbuster light heavyweight match up between Quinton Jackson (28-7) and Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) will more than likely not happen at UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15.

The explosive (and long-rumored) third showdown between “The Axe Murderer” and “Rampage” was expected to co-headline the major pay-per-view (PPV) alongside the showdown between UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar.

We first passed along news of the booking earlier this month right here.

However, it appears that even though bout agreements were distributed to both fighters several factors prevented the fight from taking place, including the legal obligations that “Rampage” must fulfill in November.

The good news is that Jackson and Silva could collide for a third time on the Super Bowl weekend show on January 31 that also features the enormous clash between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight kingpin BJ Penn.

There’s an outside chance that it could also go down on December 27 if the PPV needs more juice; however, we’re told that January is the ideal target date.

This, of course, is bad news for UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” event, which is being billed as the “Biggest Fight in UFC History.” The card could now feature a co main event of Kenny Florian against Joe Stevenson — a great fight but certainly not the caliber of Jackson-Silva 3.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.

[Capt.Caveman]

Just read it's likely at UFC 93