Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: If Rampage Jackson can't take the fight with Jon Jones, should the UFC give it to Lyoto Machida or wait out the Evans-Davis bout at UFC 133?
May 31, 2011 - 11:00:55 PM ROUNDTABLE: If Rampage Jackson can't take the fight with Jon Jones, should the UFC give it to Lyoto Machida or wait out the Evans-Davis bout at UFC 133?

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If Rampage Jackson can't take the Jon Jones fight, should the UFC give the title shot to Lyoto Machida or wait for the Rashad Evans-Phil Davis fight to decide?  

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Look, Rampage beat Machida who beat Evans who beat Rampage who beat Machida who beat Evans who beat Rampage who beat Machida who beat Evans...  It's a vicious circle, where there is no easy answer.  Right now, Rampage has been deemed to be the guy who is most in the mix (Mixiest?).  If he can't go, it's Machida or Evans.

On one hand, Machida slaughtered Evans.  On the other hand, Evans/Jones is much more marketable.  On the other hand, Evans is booked to fight Phil Davis at UFC 133 in August.  On the other hand, I don't have any more arms.

If it's me, I book Evans vs. Jones (screw fairness, I'm trying to make money, damnit!) in September, and I schedule Machida to fight Phil Davis at UFC 134.  It seems likely that Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard could both be ready to headline that card, so Machida - Davis wouldn't have to carry the weight of being a main event.

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JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

The UFC is already feeling the effects of having an injured champion sit on the sidelines for a year, and now we’re in a situation where the rightful number one contender (Rashad Evans) has been sidelined for even longer. This isn't a practice that they can afford to continue. Fortunately for the UFC, they have three eager and willing fighters licking their chops for a title shot. All the UFC really has to do is pick one, and it doesn't really matter which one they choose.

It is somewhat intriguing that the entire MMA community is so hung up on the appeal of long winning streaks that we almost demand that all challengers carry no less than a five fight unbeaten streak into title fights, or the whole thing is a sham.
 
The fact is that Rashad Evans himself has only won two fights since he was brutally stopped by Lyoto Machida three years ago. As Mauricio "Shogun" Rua stated in a recent interview, all the fighters in the top five of the UFC's light heavyweight division are capable of beating each other.
 
Fighters the caliber of Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Quinton Jackson don't need to prove themselves. Machida has beaten Evans, Evans has defeated Jackson, and Jackson has defeated Machida. Quite frankly, pretending that any of the three is more deserving than the other seems capricious and arbitrary.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I would like to see Machida get the next shot. Not only could this fight come a lot quicker, I feel like Lyoto poses some unique challenges to Jon Jones. Machida's ability to get in, deliver punishment then get out might be tough for Jon Jones to figure out. Jones versus Machida will be an excellent fight. The Rashad fight will be there after he wins against Phil Davis. I feel like Rashed gets by Davis pretty easily.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Well, I don't think any of those names is very deserving of a title shot. What has Rampage done? He's won two lackluster fights and before that he lost a decision to Rashad. What has Machida done? He beat Randy Couture, but before that he lost two in a row including a decision loss to Rampage. Rashad has two okay decision wins in a row, but before that he lost to Machida. Davis is 9-0, but didn't impress in his last fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

I guess you go with the winner of Evans vs. Davis to get the shot at Jon Jones. There's not a lot of other choices out there.

CHRIS PARK, MMATORCH UK SPECIALIST

I don't think the UFC should sit back and wait for the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis as fighters need to keep fighting.

If Rampage can't fight the UFC should make Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida happen.

Granted it will be a default title shot, but all things considered, Machida is a former champion who holds wins over Shogun as well as Evans. He gave Rampage a tough fight last year and let's face it; that karate kick to Randy Couture was exceptional.

On another note, Machida is the only top contender who I believe may have a style Jones could slightly struggle with. But only slightly!

So Machida it is for me.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Both options of Lyoto Machida and the winner of Phil Davis-Rashad Evans seem to be the best of the best when it comes to the solution of Jon Jones next opponent.  I would rather see Rashad Evans fight Jones only because of the easily built in feud that is there between the two.  Machida would be an interesting fight, but I could see it turning into a fight similar to when Jones won the title from Shogun Rua.  I would like to see Evans fight Jones next, granted, if he beats Phil Davis.

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

If Jackson can't go the UFC should seriously consider taking Rashad Evans out of his UFC 133 bout with Phil Davis and putting Lyoto Machida in that fight instead. The Evans-Jones fight is the money fight right now, and really it's the money fight regardless of if Jackson can go or not. However, with Jackson's hand injury putting things in doubt, it would work just as well to put Rashad in that fight. The two want to fight each other now, it's a fight where just the thought of it is garnering a lot of bad blood between the two, and with the injury to Jackson thrown in the mix that's the way to go. If they're not willing to take him out of 133, however, then the fight goes to Machida. If they wait for Evans and he somehow gets hurt in the Davis fight or loses then they've forced Jones and what would be Machida at that point to wait to know who they're fighting. So it will depend on what the UFC is willing to do on that front.

[Jon Jones art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]