...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Two fighters the UFC attempted to book against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this year will instead square off against one another in October. Brazilian site SporTV.com reports that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will make his return to action at UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro on October 13, and it will come against Glover Teixeira.
The bout is expected to be Jackson's final fight in the UFC. His frustrations with the organization have grown over the years, and the UFC has agreed to part ways with him following his final contracted bout. They announced that it would be against "Shogun" Rua earlier this year, but Jackson then underwent knee surgery, delaying his return.
With "Shogun" then again needing an opponent for this month's UFC 149 event when Thiago Silva suffered an injury, the UFC attempted to book him against Teixeira. However, Rua didn't want that bout, and took a fight with Brandon Vera at UFC on Fox 4 next month.
Jackson hasn't fought since his loss to Ryan Bader in February, his second straight loss after losing to Jon Jones in a title fight last year. Teixeira made an impression in his UFC debut, demolishing Kyle Kingsbury on the preliminary card at UFC 146 for his 16th straight win.
Penick's Analysis: This is exactly the right fight for the UFC to make. Teixeira, who could become a major player in the UFC's light heavyweight division, can vault himself up the ranks if he defeats Jackson in this high profile fight. It's also a very difficult fight the UFC has given to Jackson on his way out, increasing the likelihood he leaves with a loss. And if Jackson does pick up the win, Teixeira will have lost to a former Champion who is still among the top fighters in the division. This is a big fight for a card in Brazil, and a huge opportunity for Teixeira.
[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
UPDATE: The UFC has now officially announced the fight, along with the event name and October 13 date. The official city and venue will be announced in coming weeks.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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