It looks as if Lyoto Machida will square off with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in what will likely be the main event of UFC 123 on November 20th. Machida himself confirmed the bout on his Twitter account saying: “My next fight is confirmed and it’s to be against Rampage.”
Jackson had shown a disinterest in a fight versus Machida, reasoning that he wanted to have a more exciting fight for the fans, rather than another bout with a calculated and technical fighter. Jackson’s last trip to the Octagon at UFC 114 saw the former UFC light heavyweight champion suffer from ring rust as he was dominated by Rashad Evans.
Machida was handed his first career defeat, losing the championship belt to PRIDE veteran and current light heavyweight title holder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. How will Machida rebound from his lowest point? Will he look for a safe decision as he has done in the past or will he look to end things viciously via dangerous counter strikes?
Questions may linger around Lyoto Machida and his current status in the division, but those same type of criticisms exist in Quinton Jackson’s atmosphere as well. “Rampage” was obviously bothered by ring rust at UFC 114 and may have even suffered from a lack of focus due to Hollywood obligations for his role in “The A-Team.” With a seemingly clear path ahead of him en route to UFC 123, he should be able to commit himself to the sport again and if so, then we should have a very thrilling fight on our hands.
Check back to MMAPrime.TV daily, as we will have further updates regarding the location and remaining fight card for UFC 123, when the information becomes available.
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