Rampage agrees to face Machida in November

[GSG]

Rampage agrees to face Machida at Nov. 20 UFC event

John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

 

A long-anticipated battle between two former UFC champions is likely to take place this fall.

 

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the organization that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has verbally agreed to face Lyoto Machida (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

 

Jackson teased the contest on his official Twitter account, and MMAjunkie.com has learned that the bout is targeted for the main event of a yet-to-be-announced Nov. 20 date.

 

"Almost ready to sign the bout agreement," Jackson stated on his Twitter account. "I would tell ya'll who I'm gonna get down with, but I can't spell his name. Hahaha."

 

As Jackson alluded to in the post, bout agreements have yet to be finalized.

 

A location for the Nov. 20 card (which could potentially serve as UFC 123) has yet to be determined, and UFC officials are said to be considering a handful of potential venues.

 

Jackson looks to bounce back from a May loss to nemesis Rashad Evans at UFC 114. The contest was the culmination of 14 months worth of rivalry and a coaching gig on "The Ultimate Fighter" opposite Evans.

 

Prior to the loss, Jackson had earned back-to-back victories over Keith Jardine and Wanderlei Silva.

 

Meanwhile, Machida also looks to bounce back from a loss - the first defeat of his career. "The Dragon" was knocked out in the first round of his May rematch with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and relinquished his belt in the process.

 

Prior to the defeat, Machida had earned eight-straight UFC wins and both claimed and once defended the UFC's light heavyweight title.

 

Jackson was said to be interested in a rematch with Forrest Griffin - the man who took the title from "Rampage" in July 2008 - but the original winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" is currently sidelined following shoulder surgery.

 

The winner of the Jackson-Machida contest will undoubtedly return to top-contender status in a stacked 205-pound division.

 

For additional coverage of the as-yet-unannounced Nov. 20 UFC event, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

 

Linky

 

 

I'm not sure Rampage has much of a chance in this one. Thoughts?

[kansas husker]

I'm actually excited about this fight, I would like to see Rampage beat Thiago Silva before earning the cotender fight with "the dragon" but I think they are two good fighters and should make for an interesting go around.

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

Should be a really good fight. I actually see Rampage taking this one.

 

On a side note, the end of the year is stacked with events:

 

Sept. 2 - Bellator 27

Sept. 9 - Bellator 28

Sept. 15 - Ultimate Fight Night 22

Sept. 25 - UFC 119

Sept. 25 - Dream 16

Sept. 30 - WEC 51

Oct. 13 - WEC 52

Oct. 16 - UFC 120

Oct. 23 - UFC 121

Oct. 25 - Dream 17

Nov. 13 - UFC 122

Nov. 20 - UFC 123

Nov. 24 - WEC 53

Dec. 4 - TUF Finale

Dec. 11 - UFC 124

[GSG]

Should be a really good fight. I actually see Rampage taking this one.

 

On a side note, the end of the year is stacked with events:

 

Sept. 2 - Bellator 27

Sept. 9 - Bellator 28

Sept. 15 - Ultimate Fight Night 22

Sept. 25 - UFC 119

Sept. 25 - Dream 16

Sept. 30 - WEC 51

Oct. 13 - WEC 52

Oct. 16 - UFC 120

Oct. 23 - UFC 121

Oct. 25 - Dream 17

Nov. 13 - UFC 122

Nov. 20 - UFC 123

Nov. 24 - WEC 53

Dec. 4 - TUF Finale

Dec. 11 - UFC 124

 

Have you been watching Bellator? I always forget when it's on and then when I do remember, they show baseball instead. The ones have I have seen this year have been pretty entertaining though.

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

Should be a really good fight. I actually see Rampage taking this one.

 

On a side note, the end of the year is stacked with events:

 

Sept. 2 - Bellator 27

Sept. 9 - Bellator 28

Sept. 15 - Ultimate Fight Night 22

Sept. 25 - UFC 119

Sept. 25 - Dream 16

Sept. 30 - WEC 51

Oct. 13 - WEC 52

Oct. 16 - UFC 120

Oct. 23 - UFC 121

Oct. 25 - Dream 17

Nov. 13 - UFC 122

Nov. 20 - UFC 123

Nov. 24 - WEC 53

Dec. 4 - TUF Finale

Dec. 11 - UFC 124

 

Have you been watching Bellator? I always forget when it's on and then when I do remember, they show baseball instead. The ones have I have seen this year have been pretty entertaining though.

 

Yeah, I watch it every Thursday it's on. I have DirecTV and I get all the Fox Sports Networks so it's always live on one of those channels. I'm lucky because my local is FSSouthwest so there is about always a Rangers game on Thursday nights. Bellator has a great setup. Really enjoy watching. I, of course, prefer UFC first but Bellator is definitely second behind them in my opinion. Strikeforce doesn't even come close.