The work week is set to come to a close, although there are plenty of new stories opening up in the world of mixed martial arts. Forrest Griffin continues to get more respect, while a couple other fighters are trying to claw their way back to respectability. We’ll say TGIF as we get going with the Daily Crunch.
Quinton Jackson may have thought he had done enough to earn a decision against Forrest Griffin, although three judges didn’t see it that way. In a post fight interview, Jackson talks about what happened in the fight and goes on to talk about a possible rematch. He even talks about what he learned growing up in the south.
It is strange to see a man who calls himself Rampage so humble in an interview. Perhaps only true defeat can evoke such humility? Although Jackson says he did enough to win the fight, his demeanor throughout this clip doesn’t do an extraordinary job of convincing anyone that he should still be the champ.
Any time a fight has to be decided by an objective third party, the decision will always be subject to scrutiny. When both fighters are left standing, it is up to a set of judges to intervene. For the most part, that system has worked fairly well in the world of mma. However, Ben Fowlkes of Sports Illustrated disagrees. In an article published Monday afternoon, Fowlkes feels that the Griffin-Jackson decision is one more piece of evidence that depicts the judging flaws in the world of mixed martial arts.
Fowlkes contends that Griffin’s face looked as though he took the brunt of the beating. However, one or two good shots can leave quite a nasty imprint on a fighter’s face. Over the course of a championship match, there are twenty-five minutes of hard-hitting action. That translates into both fighters landing quite a significant amount of blows to one another. Simply because Griffin wore more badges of brutality doesn’t shouldn’t discredit him from a victory.
Fowlkes goes on to compare mma judging too much like that of boxing. Yet, there are significantly more disputed boxing matches than there are in the world of mma. Following the fight, Jackson himself admitted that “he got whooped”. If Jackson can see that then why can’t everyone else?
The light heavyweight division is really heating up in the UFC. Amidst the flames of Saturday’s Forrest Griffin-Rampage Jackson blowout, many eyes are now looking forward to Chuck Liddell’s showdown with Rashad Evans at UFC 88. The winner of that bout could be next in line to face Griffin, the new light-heavyweight champion.
There is no question that all the heat manufactured by Jackson vs. Griffin will ignite the hype surrounding Liddell-Evans. Furthermore, the inevitable explosion at UFC 88 will then carry over into the next light-heavyweight title match. But even if the winner of Liddell vs. Evans is forced to wait and watch a Griffin-Jackson rematch, the energy surrounding the match should be scorching.
Before the notion of a Liddell-Griffin face off can even be entertained, Liddell must first get past Evans. But regardless of who closes out the year as Griffin’s next opponent, it figures to be one of the hottest selling items of the year.
In the days leading up to UFC 86, there were whispers that the event didn’t seem to have the billing to live up to they hype. However, Saturday night’s card silenced those whispers. The Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson bout became an instant classic, but there were some other bouts that also enabled pay-per-viewers to get their money’s worth.
Patrick Cote improved to 14-4 with a split decision victory over Ricardo Almeida in what was probably the closest fight of the night. Cote edged out Almeida 29-28 on a pair of judge’s scorecards while Almeida won the remaining judge’s favor wit the same exact score. Joe Stevenson choked out Gleison Tibau while Josh Koscheck and Tyson Griffin both cruised to impressive victories. Here is a rundown of the final results from UFC 86:
Forrest Griffin def. Quinton Jackson via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 49-46)
Patrick Cote def. Ricardo Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Joe Stevenson def. Gleison Tibau via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 2:57
Josh Koscheck def. Chris Lytle via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 30-28)
Tyson Griffin def. Marcus Aurelio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via submission (kimura) — Round 1, 1:57
Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel via submission (triangle choke) — Round 3, 4:48
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Siver via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 0:36
Justin Buchholz def. Corey Hill via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2, 3:57.
Pay Days began to balloon for a few fighters on Saturday night before they could even visit the bank. The UFC handed out three $60,000 bonuses to individual fighters for their performances during UFC 86. It may come as no shock that Forrest Griffin and Quinton Jackson each pocketed an extra $60K for the “fight of the night” for their epic light heavyweight battle.
In addition to Griffin, another Ultimate Fighter alum was also awarded a fight night bonus. The “knockout of the night” came courtesy of Melvin Guillard. The young assassin lived up to his nickname as he disposed of Dennis Siver with a furious flurry of punches just 36 seconds into the first round.
The final recipient of an extra check was Cole Miller who defeated Jorge Gurgel with a triangle choke to earn the “submission of the night”. Miller found himself lagging behind in the fight, but managed to lock in the triangle and had just enough time to submit Gurgel before the fight came to an end. Gurgel finally tapped with only twelve seconds remaining in the the third round, providing Miller and the audience with one of the more dramatic finishes of the night.
Tonight, the biggest threat to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may be himself. He hasn’t fought in nine months and, during that time, Jackson put on a few pounds in the interim. He has since shed that excess wait, but that fluctuation in weight combined with some ring rust could wind up to be two of the biggest factors working against him.
Jackson goes on to talk about his fight preparation and the mental edge he brings with him to the octagon. Many believe Griffin cannot outlast Jackson and that he will continue his rampage through the light heavyweight division. But all those opinions will finally be put to rest as the battle will soon get underway.
Now that fight day has finally arrived, many varying opinions continue sound off leading up to the Quinton Jackson-Forrest Griffin clash. Plenty of hype has been generated, arguments have been made and even a season of The Ultimate Fighter has attempted to add to the mystique of this main event. But is most of that mystique simply fabricated? Some might answer that question with a negative, however a look into each fighter’s past provides a pretty solid affirmative.
Griffin is coming off the biggest win of his career after submitting Maurico Rua. Yet, Griffin is probably still not considered to be one of the top five light heavyweights in the world. A win over Jackson would certainly thrust him into that top five, but how realistic are his chances?
When talking about mystique, none can deny that Jackson has created a unique one of his one. For it is a gripping sight to watch Jackson make his way into the octagon with a chain draped around his neck and a ferocious look on his face. He then brings a furious fighting style which can even intimidate people in the audience. There is a certain awe directed towards only a few fighters, and Jackson is indeed the recipient of that awe.
Now Jackson cannot rest on the laurels of mystique alone when he steps into the octagon tonight. But Jackson’s mystique was also created by his past success. And now, Jackson seems to be at the top of his game. Griffin will probably be able to overlook the mystique of Jackson, although he may have a tough time handling the fighting prowess of the number one light heavyweight in the world.
So while hype will continue to follow this fight all the way up to is beginning, it’s hard to envision Griffin walking away with a victory. It is almost if there is an ominous sense in the air. And even if fans aren’t treated to a long, competitive fight, they will be able to watch one of mma’s best at his best. Tonight at UFC 86, the main event might just turn out to be the simple fact that the audience was able to witness the ever-growing mystique of Rampage Jackson.
This weekend’s bout between Rampage Jackson and Forrest Griffin feature two of the top light heavyweights in the world of mixed martial arts. There may only be a few voices disputing the fact that Jackson is the world’s top light heavyweight fighter, but where does Griffin fall among the elite? A victory over Jackson would surely thrust Griffin into the upper echelon of the division. Yet, for right now, Griffin ranks sixth on MMA Weekly’s list of top ten light heavyweights in the world. The list is as follows:
Multiple losses to Jackson hasn’t dropped Liddell too far down the list. Keeping that in mind, where will Griffin be ranked if he too loses at the hands of Jackson? Rua already split a pair of fights with Rampage and yet he remains slotted at number two. But despite what has happened in the past, Jackson is now the man to beat in the light heavyweight division. However, opinions vary and rankings always change according to who writes up the list. So if the ink was flowing from your pen, how would you rank the light heavyweight division?
The work week is set to come to a close, although there are plenty of new stories opening up in the world of mixed martial arts. Forrest Griffin continues to get more respect, while a couple other fighters are trying to claw their way back to respectability. We’ll say TGIF as we get going with the Daily Crunch.
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