Win, Lose, or Draw: Jackson Must Fight Griffin First

Should Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeat Keith "The Mean" Jardine at this weekend's UFC 96 pay-per-view, Jackson will wait for the title shot he so covets as fighters like Lyoto Machida deserve an opportunity to fight for title.

Up next for the former light heavyweight champion will be the man who defeated him for that title.

Forrest Griffin, who last lost title to the current champ Rashad Evans at UFC 92, outlasted  Jackson for five rounds, surviving by variety of leg kicks and body shots.

The first and final rounds proved pivotal in deciding the outcome of this much anticipated title fight and are the rounds most debated by fans.

All three judges, Adalaide Byrd, Nelson Hamilton, and Roy Sibert scored the fourth in Jackson's favor, with the second and third rounds going to Griffin.

Some say Jackson took the first, others say Griffin took the fifth.

All anyone knows for sure is the judges awarded Griffin both rounds, and in essence the light heavyweight title.  Griffin's  been nursing a hand injury since his December lost so UFC may hold off on a Griffin/Jackson rematch. No word from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva who he will schedule to fight Griffin next.

After the loss, Jackson's next bout saw him cope with mental health issues, legal troubles that sent him on a rapid descent through the light heavyweight ranks. He's managed to fight his way back into the title talk with the knockout of the night honor at UFC 92, thus  avenging his two previous losses to Wanderlei Silva in PRIDE.

Silva now requests one final rematch to settle the score between these two before it's time for one of them to retire.

Silva believes he owns Jackson, and Jackson owes him a rematch.

UFC owes the fans a Griffin vs. Jackson rematch, which will allow an undefeated Machida can cash in the title shot he deserves. Machida remains 6-0 in the UFC, and 14-0 overall.

Fighters, like Jackson, Griffin, Machida, and Silva, make the light heavyweight division a complete and utter cluster-f**k. A Griffin vs. Jackson rematch alleviates the headaches associated with bypassing certain fighters for other ones. UFC matchmakers should schedule fights the fans want to see and not what solely helps elevate the sport itself.

With both these fights, the UFC and its fans get the best of worlds.

Fans want to see the rematch between Griffin and Jackson. They don't want to see another Silva v. Jackson fight, at least not now. They want to see Machida face Evans for the title. They do not want to see Machida pushed over for other fighters due to a perceived "boring" fight style.

How long will fans wait?