UFC
UFC NEWS: Lyoto Machida confirms Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as his next opponent
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Jul 26, 2010 - 3:02:35 PM

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

News broke late last week that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida were being set up for a bout this November. While Jackson confirmed his participation in the fight, saying he was close to signing the bout agreement, Machida hadn't confirmed or denied anything about the fight.

That changed today, as Machida confirmed that Jackson is his next opponent.

On his Twitter page, Machida posted "My next fight is confirmed and it's [going] to be against Rampage."

The bout is expected to headline an event on November 20, likely UFC 122. No location is set for the event, though the UFC is rumored to be targeting a number of locations for the fight.

Penick's Analysis: This is a really good light heavyweight fight, and a natural progression for both fighters after their losses to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rashad Evans, respectively. With Evans waiting on the sidelines for Shogun to recover from his knee surgery, and those two likely to face off in February or March of next year, the winner of this fight gets right back on track in the title picture. The loser will have lost two straight, but it will have been against two of the top fighters in the division either way and won't be a major detriment to either of them.

RELATED STORY: UFC NEWS: Quinton Jackson agrees to face Lyoto Machida on November 20 event: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]

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