UFC 96 Main Event Set
by Robert Sargent
Fresh off of his vicious knockout of old rival Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be back in action at UFC 96 on March 7th, where he takes on "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine in the night's main event from Columbus, Ohio.
Elsewhere, former heavyweight contender Gabriel "Napćo" Gonzaga faces undefeated knockout artist Shane Carwin, while Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett battles Ben "Killa B" Saunders.
Jackson (29-7-0) was widely expected to face UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Sugar" Rashad Evans in his next fight, but he has instead been faced with Evans's teammate and training partner, Jardine (14-4-1). Jackson's only loss since 2005 came at UFC 86, when he lost a highly controversial decision to Forrest Griffin. His knockout of Silva at UFC 92 instantly vaulted him back into title contention.
Jardine, by contrast, has had nothing but ups and downs in his UFC career. Wins over two former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions - Griffin and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell - seemed to have Jardine on the verge of a title shot, but a 36-second knockout loss to Silva and a lacklustre performance against the rapidly-deflating Brandon "The Truth" Vera have left many questions regarding Jardine's true potential.
Jardine's unorthodoxed style, however, could prove to be the perfect counter to Jackson's aggression. Griffin showed that Jackson is vulnerable to leg kicks, which is the trademark of Jardine. Furthermore, Jardine's style is difficult to figure out, as he throws wide, looping punches and keeps opponents guessing.
With Jardine's chin clearly not on the same level as Jackson's, or most of the rest of the top ten UFC light heavyweights, it is easy to assume that Jackson will have little trouble scoring a quick knockout. However, if the fight with Griffin is any indication, Jardine could chop down Jackson and finally put himself in line for a title shot. Whether or not he and Evans would want to fight each other again - they competed against one another on Season Two of The Ultimate Fighter - remains to be seen.
The heavyweight tilt between Gonzaga and Carwin could prove to be an interesting one. Carwin (10-0-0) has walked through all of his opponents thus far. His longest fight to date was his professional debut, which lasted 2:11. He has five wins by knockout and five by submission - most due to strikes - and has never been out of round one.
Gonzaga (10-3-0) is still most famous for his head kick knockout of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, but he came up short in his title bid with Randy "The Natural" Couture. His stock in the company took another hit with his second career loss to Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum, but he has won two straight fights and a victory over the undefeated Carwin would be huge for Gonzaga's career.
Even more intriguing is the welterweight contest between Hazelett and Saunders, who are both coming off of extremely impressive performances. Hazelett (12-4-0) submitted "The People's Warrior" Josh Burkman at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale with one of the most awe-inspiring flying armbars in history, then followed it up with a unique omoplata armbar of fellow young gun, Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory at UFC 91.
Saunders (7-0-2) is undefeated, and is coming off of quite possibly the single most dominant display of Muay Thai in UFC history. He absolutely massacred Brandon Wolff at UFC: Fight For The Troops in December, using a seemingly endless barrage of Thai clinch knees until Wolff finally and mercifully fell to the canvas. The beating was easily the worst in recent memory.
Both fighters are looking to remain on track for a potential title shot in the future, and a win would help both a great deal in their quests.
UFC 96 takes place on March 7th, and also features fighters such as Matt Hamill, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Jason Day, Aaron Riley and Brandon Vera.
