Two featured matchups have been added to the upcoming UFC 130 card on May 28th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will take on Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, while Thiago “Pitbull” Alves squares off with Ricky “The Horror” Story.
The event will be headlined by a third meeting between Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Gray “The Bully” Maynard for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The pair’s second bout ended in a Split Draw on January 1st, and Maynard was awarded with an immediate rematch for Edgar’s title as a result.
Jackson (31-8-0) was previously scheduled to face Thiago Silva at UFC 130, but Silva was removed from the card after reports suggested that he may have failed a post-fight drug test following his bout at UFC 125. Jackson has since made his feelings known that he does not care for the Hamill matchup, but will nonetheless face the TUF 3 alum. He is coming off of a contentious Split Decision victory over fellow ex-champ Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and could earn another shot at the title if he is able to get past Hamill in their May battle.
Hamill (10-2-0) has won five consecutive fights, though one of those victories came via a controversial disqualification in a bout with current top contender Jon “Bones” Jones. Hamill was soundly beaten in the fight, but was struck with a pair of illegal downward elbows that resulted in the DQ outcome. Six of Hamill’s victories have come by a form of knockout and he is coming off of decision wins over Keith Jardine and former champ Tito Ortiz. Should he manage to upset Jackson, Hamill could find himself in the title hunt at 205 pounds.
Alves (18-7-0) put together seven straight victories to earn a shot against UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, but suffered a one-sided decision loss to the reigning champion at UFC 100. Following a 13-month layoff, Alves returned at UFC 117 and incurred a second defeat at the hands of old rival Jon Fitch. Armed with a new nutritional program and added motivation, Alves dominated John “Doomsday” Howard en route to a commanding Unanimous Decision victory at UFC 124 and will face another solid test at UFC 130.
Story (12-3-0) dropped his promotional debut against John “The Hitman” Hathaway at UFC 99 in June of 2009, but has since bounced back with five solid wins. At UFC 117 last August, Story destroyed former contender Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett, and he followed up with a big victory over the previously unbeaten Johny Hendricks in December. Now poised to make a run at title contention, Story must first get past a former challenger for the 170-pound crown.
UFC 130: “Edgar vs Maynard 3” takes place on May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Gray “The Bully” Maynard.
UFC 130 Fight Card (to date; subject to change):
– Frankie “The Answer” Edgar vs Gray “The Bully” Maynard (UFC Lightweight Championship)
– Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Matt “The Hammer” Hamill
– Jorge Santiago vs “The All-American” Brian Stann [*]
– Frank Mir vs Roy “Big Country” Nelson
– Thiago “Pitbull” Alves vs Ricky “The Horror” Story
– Brad “One Punch” Pickett vs Miguel Torres [*]
– Travis “Hapa” Browne vs Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve
* Not yet officially announced.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)