UFC has announced two marquee battles for upcoming fight cards.
Playing off the staredown at UFC 96, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has opted not to be the first challenger for newly-crowned champion Lyoto Machida’s Light Heavyweight gold. Instead, Rampage will next face Rashad Evans–with a catch. Both will build their rivalry as opposite coaches for the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which features Heavyweight competitors. Their fight will come at the end of the year.
Machida will place his belt on the line against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in an October fight. After losing to Forrest Griffin and turning in an uninspired performance against Mark Coleman, the one-time “best Light Heavyweight in the world” returned to the top of the UFC food chain with a first-round victory over Chuck Liddell. He now faces the man who jumped into “best pound for pound fighter” contention with a dominant knockout victory over Rashad Evans.