Keith Jardine a Stepping-Stone for Rampage?

There are not many fight fans giving Keith Jardine a snowball’s chance against his opponent, the much feared Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and rightfully so. 

Looking back at “The Dean of Mean’s” losses in the UFC, when the man loses, he really loses.

With the exception of his defeat to Stephan Bonner due to a unanimous decision, Jardine is on the wrong end of two highlight reel knockouts courtesy of Houston Alexander and “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva.

Neither fight saw beyond the first round. Both were pretty devastating. Add the fact that Rampage delivered his own highlight reel first round KO to Silva back on Dec. 27, and this fight is somewhat of a yawn. 

So why even make this matchup? 

Because this fight may not be as one-sided as some may believe. Jardine is part of the infamous Greg Jackson camp that boasts two champions, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, who is a Welterweight Champion, and “Sugar” Rashad Evans, a light heavyweight. 

"The Dean" also has a couple of wins under his belt against formidable opponents and former light heavyweight champions in Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. He does possess striking power and one of his major assets is his leg kicks. 

If Jardine can keep Rampage at bay with a flurry of leg kicks, ala Griffin, get in close and avoid Jackson’s heavy hands, he will have a good chance of pulling the upset. Jardine is pretty well-rounded so if the fight should end up on the ground, it could put the momentum on his side. 

I know I just made a case for Keith Jardine. But Quinton Jackson brought a whole new anger to the Octagon in his last fight against Wandy, and Jardine has a very unorthodox fighting style that makes him susceptible to the big KO. 

Prediction: Rampage in round one via strikes.

Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga versus Shane Carwin is another interesting bout.

Carwin has found success in the UFC and holds a perfect 10-0 record in his professional career. However, he has not fought the caliber of fighter he will be squaring off against in Gonzaga.

Although Carwin will have a two inch height and a twenty pound weight advantage, an opponent with Gonzaga’s battle history and submissions package will be too much for him to overcome.

Prediction: Gonzaga via submission in round two.

Pete “Drago” Sell versus "The Immortal” Matt Brown

Drago has exactly two wins in four years in the UFC and I am not about to give him another one anytime soon. He will be facing a more mature fighter, mentally, in Matt Brown. 

Brown brings a real fighter’s attitude to the octagon, along with a pretty versatile style that Sell will not be able to outdo.  Plus, he will have a hometown advantage.

Prediction: Matt Brown via submission in round two.

My upset of the night goes to Mark Munoz as he squares off against Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. 

“The Philippine Wrecking Machine” is an aggressive product of the WEC, who brings power in his punches along with strong Muay Thai skills. Hamill possess pure power packaged with a superior wrestling game, but that will only allow him to not get submitted or punched out.

Prediction: Munoz via unanimous decision.

In the nights other bouts, I have Gray Maynard over the evenly matched Jim Miller via unanimous decision. 

Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove besting Jason “Dooms” Day due to referee stoppage in the second.

Brandon “The Truth” Vera easily handles Michael Patt in the first round via TKO stoppage.

Tamdan McCrory over Ryan Madigan via submission in the first round.

Tim Boetsch victorious over Jason Brilz with a first round KO.

Shane Nelson wins his UFC PPV debut over Aaron Riley with a second round submission.