UFC 86 has come and gone and most assumed Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would still be on the top of the 205lb division. But and it's a huge BUT...Forrest Griffin is the NEW Light Heavyweight Champion. It doesn't sound right, does it? Perhaps "certain" UFC officials had their dream come true. Forrest is their new "poster boy." Their very first Ultimate Fighter, their guy who will fight hard and train harder, a guy who represents what a fighter is supposed to be and Dana White's new man crush.
Forrest squeezed, what many to believe, a tainted victory over Rampage to claim the gold.
For me, I had Rampage winning rounds 1, 3, and 4. It's understandable how they could have given the fight to Forrest due to his overall attack. I spoke with a UFC fighter, who will not be named, earlier today and he said it best, "Forrest stayed busier and Rampage hit some clean hard shots." That's exactly what happened.
Rampage didn't hunt down Forrest the way he needed to. Griffin is a cardio freak who will not get tired, we know this. So Jackson allowing him to come at him and counter might not have been the best strategy to have. The judges saw Forrest dictate the fight with minor punishment other then the repetitive leg kicks.
Griffin got caught a few times but showed an overall MMA game. Rampage looked more like a boxer, with great head movement and hard shots. I could see Dana White giddy like a twelve year old on Christmas Eve when he walked into the Octagon. You knew Forrest won, at least on the cards.
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I'll say something not many are saying. The fight was a DRAW. That's right, it was too close to really give it to either fighter. With that being said, to be champion you have to BEAT the champ.
Forrest didn't beat the champ, he battled him...and he battled him hard. Rampage dropped Forrest a couple times, only to crumble once due to leg kicks. There was no decisive difference between the two. The scorecards were a F'N joke. 49-46, you know nothing about MMA. That's a disgrace, enough said. The reality of it is Forrest is the NEW Light Heavyweight Champion, whether we like it or not.
So now what's next for the champ and the division?
There could be a possible Griffin/ Rampage II as early as the New Year's Eve show. Can you smell the PPV buys? This would be huge. UFC could go it's normal route where to get a rematch first you have to win a fight. I heard of a rumored bout with Rampage and Wanderlai Silva.
Hate this idea.
Why?
Save this for a belt or wait until there's going to be a while before they get a title shot again. Silva ate Jardine's soul after losing three fights in a row.
Rampage is, arguably, the most charismatic champion that UFC has ever had. Let Wandy get one more "death" under his belt before a title shot. We need Rampage and Forrest right away! Silva wins convincingly over Thiago Silva or whomever the UFC throws at him then bring on the champ. If it's Rampage, huge draw, buys, and interest with Rampage losing twice to him in Pride. No need to rush into it.
If it's Forrest, Jardine destroyed Forrest and Silva took five years off of Jardine's lifespan. It makes dollars and it makes sense.
The rest of the Light Heavyweight division other than Silva, Rampage, and Forrest are also hungry for a title shot. Evans/ Liddell is set for September, UFC may possibly be saying,"Chuck if you drop Rashad, you get Forrest." The storybook pages of Liddell's brilliant career are getting crumpled up. He probably has one final run in him, he's 38.
He's not F'N Randy Couture so NO he won't be able to do what Randy did and come back in his 40's to win gold, Randy is the Juggernaut b*$tch! But the UFC can capitalize on money/ buys, Liddell's legacy, and all of the fans who would love to see the "Iceman" back on top.
The next few months are going to be very interesting for the Light Heavyweight division. Other than all these questions, there are a few more looming like,"what if Anderson Silva dominates this division, and where does Lyoto Machida fit into all this?" The questions will continue but one thing is for sure, now is a great time to be a MMA fan.
I'll be back to preview UFC's upcoming shows, keep your hands up!
- Venym
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about 1 month ago
Regardless of who won the fight, where the hell do the two 49-46 scores come from? An argument can certainly be made for both fighters as to who won the fight, but regardless of who you're siding with, there's no WAY anyone won this fight 49-46! god damn east german judges.
from about 1 month ago
Todd, I defiantly see your point. In my opinion, the challenger needs to take the title and the belt away from the current champion. Decisions just suck but what are we to do if either fight simply cannot finish the fight. The fight was too close to tell who actually one. The scores (49-46) are indeed accurate, if one would score the fight. 5 rounds. Pretty much, you either get a 9 or an 8 if the other guy gets a ten. Somebody has to win the round. So, you have (9-10)(10-9)(9-10)(9-10)(9-10). So what do we have? (46-49) Oh my, we have a winner. Forrest didn't take the title away but none-the-less, he won. Trying to make an unbiased decision in something and somebody you love is the achilles heel of all professional and unprofessional judging.
The Light Heavy Weight division is the most stacked division in the UFC with both talent and skill. I would much rather be in Anderson Silva's place than Forrest's place. I like Forrest a lot but he has a diffcult line up in front of him. Rampage, Chuck, Wanderlei, Shogun, Jardine, Rashad and a few others like Anderson Silva (who is talking about moving up in divisions). Ouch. Good luck Forrest.
about 1 month ago
Very insightful. You should think about doing commentary professionally - oh wait, I forgot, networks/magazines prefer to hire people who have actually been in a fight before...lol
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for that Bradford. I will not be driving to class next week, lol.
about 1 month ago
You certainly introduced some interesting opinions. I enjoyed reading your article.
about 1 month ago
i dont see the problem forrest played the rules just like anyone else would if rampage wanted it bad enough he should have step up and finish not let it go to the judges yes i thing the score was one sided and yes i think forrest earned the win by their own rules u wanna fix that problem they need to get away for the boxing rules it doesnt always work as for anderson silva come on he is going up a class and still has to cut lbs realy this 30-40 lbs cutting is getting old
about 1 month ago
i like ur jokes. they make me laugh.
from about 1 month ago
Glad you enjoy them.
about 1 month ago
First of all, Anderson has stated that he does not intend to further compete in the LHW division and that he believes the belt will be Machida's.
Let's have a systemic breakdown of the LHW situation:
Confirmed Fights:
UFC: Silva vs. Irvin - A. Silva vs. Irvin, Vera vs. Andy
UFC 87 - Drwal vs. Gusmao
UFC 88 - Liddel vs. Evans, Franklin vs. Hamill
Rumoured Fights:
W. Silva vs. T. Silva - UFC 89, 90, or 91
Available Fighters and Last Fight Dates:
Rua - Sept 22 07
Bonnar - Oct 10 07
Jardine - May 24
Reljic - May 24
Sokoudjou - May 24
Machida - May 24
Cane - June 7
Jackson - July 5
Griffin - July 5
I believe the following match-ups are likely:
Sokoudjou vs. Reljic
Rua vs. Bonnar
Jardine vs. Cane
Machida vs. Jackson is also a possibility depending on what Zuffa's priorities are.
about 1 month ago
I dont like Machida anymore than anyone else but sooner or later someone big has to fight him or he has to get a title shot.
Same can almost be said for Thiago Silva.
Good points Derek about Liddell. I think deep down that is who they are working to get a shot at the title. In fact all along I have thought a Griffin vs Liddell for the title would be a HUGE HUGE HUGE money maker. Honestly they are probably the two most well known names in the UFC right now to people that dont keep up with it much.
from about 1 month ago
You're exactly right! It is a business and they want the money. They will make a ton if Forrest and Liddell fight.
about 1 month ago
As stated earlier by the writer of this article and in which I fully agree with; "To be the Champ, You must beat the Champ". With that said, Forrest did not clearly beat the champ, as seen when Bruce buffer, who when making the announcement about the victor of the match said " The Winner and Still and New UFC LHW Champ" . In addition, Jackson should have known better than to leave the decision in the judges hands. So ,basically it is what it is and no use crying over spilled milk. Also, tons of respect to Jackson, who did not display of any ill feeling when the decision was announced. Finally on a closing note, someone should ask Forrest how Dana Whites's bedroom looks like in the morning? Since sleeping with the boss is the only anyone can justify the reason Forrest was given an opportunity to challenge the Champ for the belt, especially when you have a stacked and more deserving group of contenders.
Slopok Rodriguez
Attributes:
Very Strong
Well Round
Has killed before
from about 1 month ago
Slopok's attributes are phenomenal. You can see him fighting under Stachio Productions in California next weekend against Earl Jones. Kill him Rodriguez!
about 1 month ago
how i think it will go down is chuck will beat evans and then nock rampage out and then pounding griffin. yea that sounds great. im calling this one.
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