UFC 96 Results: Rampage Jackson Victorious, Earns Title Shot at UFC 98

It wasn't a pretty fight, but Quinton "Rampage" Jackson did what he had to do Saturday night at UFC 96, defeating Keith Jardine via unanimous decision in Columbus, Ohio, earning himself a date in May against Light Heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

The fight was slow at times, with random flurries of activity that ignited the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. Jackson closed out the third with a right-left combo that knocked Jardine down, winning him the round and likely the fight. Two judges scored the fight 29-28, while another had it 30-28.

Post-fight, they had Jackson and Evans do a staredown, which turned into both men jabbering at each other. The only issue? Evans was too soft-spoken to make this work, especially face-to-face with Jackson.

In other action, Shane Carwin took a big step in his career while Brandon Vera and Kendall Grove each survived UFC elimination for another day. Here's the full wrap and results on UFC 96, courtesy of Ropes, Ring and Cage:

—Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision: Maynard's tramp stamp always gets me as he's such a tough guy with a tattoo location known for girls. I thought this fight was going to be really good, but it was kinda blah...Miller kept attempting takedowns but Maynard wasn't having any of it.

Somewhere along the way, Miller's nose was busted up, thanks to either a straight right or a knee. Fans began booing in the third, so perhaps their styles were too close to make for a good fight. Judges all scored it 30-27. Did the fans know Maynard went to Ohio State?

—Matt Hughes was in attendance and got booed pretty heavily when shown on screen.

—Matt Hamill def. Mark Munoz by KO at 3:53 of the first round: Hamill knew what he was doing, coming out to "Hang On Sloopy" (the official state fight song of Ohio) and decked out in OSU colors.

He was the aggressor early on and looked to be the chaser rather than the chased.. The end came when Hamill hit a right leg kick to Munoz's temple, knocking him out before he hit the ground.

This was highlight reel and very Gonzaga—Cro Cop-esque. Hamill is such a fan favorite and an easy guy to like. He gave a slightly unintelligible talk afterward, skipping the interpreter which was awfully awkward. He is so passionate that it's admirable he tried.

—They aired a pre-taped interview with Frank Mir and Rashad Evans confirming the main events for UFC 98 and UFC 100 you can read about here.

—Matt Brown def. Pete Sell by TKO (punches) at 1:32 of the 1st round: Brown was on Sell early with leg kicks and seemingly knocked him out/down at one point with a leg kick, but ref Yves Lavigne said to keep going. Huh? Brown (seen right) continued to decimate Sell, knocking his mouthpiece out.

Brown was visibly asking the ref to stop the fight which finally happened after Brown connected again and Sell really couldn't fight it.

I think we'll be hearing more about this ref decision in the post-fight presser. Where is "Big" John McCarthy when you need him?

—Kendall Grove def. Jason Day via TKO (punches) at 1:32 of the first round: So much for Grove getting KO'd out of the UFC. Grove connected on a straight right that dropped Day and the fight was over within a few seconds. Solid win for Grove who needs a few more of these in a row.

Day is now 1-2 in his UFC career and has been taken out via TKO in his last two, so there is a good chance he could get cut in a few weeks if precedent holds up.

—Shane Carwin def. Gabriel Gonzaga via KO at 1:09 in the 1st round: Gonzaga connected early and grounded Carwin and had a window to end the fight as Carwin looked dazed. But after they stood up, Carwin hit a right hand to the jaw that KO'd Gonzaga out of nowhere.

Gonzaga couldn't answer and the fight was over. Who Carwin fights next is going to be very interesting. Maybe the loser of Couture vs. Nogueira? Is he ready for a veteran like that?

—Tamdan McCrory def. Ryan Madigan via TKO (punches) at 3:35 of the 1st round: You know, with a beard, McCrory sort of looks like Daniel Farraday on Lost. McCrory is so flexible and long, kinda like Corey Hill. McCrory was all over Madigan on the ground and the fight was stopped as McCrory got a full mount and was landing enough unanswered blows that the ref had to stop it.

Post-fight, McCrory gave a funny interview, decked out in some cool looking spectacles, claiming Dana White wouldn't let him come out to "Thunderhorse" by the fictional band Dethklok on the show Metalocalypse.

—Quinton Jackson def. Keith Jardine via unanimous decision: Wow...Jackson looks intense coming out. The two had an fairly even first round, but Jackson began to take over in the second round.

Jardine looks winded, putting hands on shorts and by his sides...how is this possible with a Greg Jackson fighter? He did come back with an intense flurry in the second that rocked Jackson.

Going into the third, this could have been anyone's fight but I think Jackson was ahead. Jardine is plodding along like a horror movie character, but apparently his hands by his sides means "he's feeling it" according to teammate Evans on commentary.

With a minute to go, the fans were booing...not a great sign. Jackson put an exclamation point on this fight though, knocking Jardine down just seconds before the third ended with a right and left combination.

—Brandon Vera def. Michael Patt via TKO at 1:27 of the second round (leg kicks): Vera looks focused and intense...Patt doesn't look the prototypical UFC fighter. Besides one leg kick by Pat, Vera was in control the entire fight, connecting with strong leg kicks.

Eventually, Vera's attack caught up with Patt as his leg was weakened enough that he couldn't defend himself and the fight was stopped.

—Jason Brilz d. Tim Boetsch by unanimous decision: All three judges scored the bout 29-28. Boetsch was swinging hard early on. This turned into a wrestling match in the 2nd.

—Shane Nelson d. Aaron Riley via 1st round TKO in an unaired fight. Apparently, this was quite a controversial stoppage causing Joe Rogan to Twitter between fights "Aaron riley just got robbed. Worst stoppage I've ever seen. Local referee f*cked up bigtime."

Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer said it might be the 'worst stoppage ever' and that he doubted they'd show the fight because of how embarrassing this was.

Josh Nason - josh [at] ropesringandcage [dot com] - has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. If you are using any content or recapping from this site, please include a link to www.ropesringandcage.com or this post on Bleacher Report. Thank you for your support!