Jeff Sherwood/Sherdog.com
Rashad Evans
With his brilliant knockout of
Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 in September, Evans took an enormous leap into light heavyweight legitimacy. However, he truly validated himself when he halted
Forrest Griffin at UFC 92 to capture the 205-pound crown and, with it, divisional supremacy.
Not only did Griffin lose his 205-pound UFC crown to Rashad Evans at UFC 92 in December, he also broke his right hand -- an injury that will keep him on the shelf until early autumn.
After his brutal swatting of arch-nemesis
Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 in December, it seemed Jackson would be content to wait until the early summer for a blockbuster showdown with UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. However, with Zuffa needing a main event for the March 7 UFC 96 bill in Columbus, Ohio, we'll now get an extra dose of "Rampage" as he takes on Evans' teammate,
Keith Jardine.
Machida's brilliant bashing of
Thiago Silva strengthened his claim to a deserved UFC light heavyweight title shot. However, his title opportunity rests on
Keith Jardine, for whom the karateka will have to root to knock off the other would-be challenger,
Quinton Jackson, in their March 7 showdown.
The on-again, off-again bout with
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is on again: They will finally meet in the co-main event of UFC 97 in Montreal on April 17. It’s a do-or-die bout for two men desperate to turn their fortunes in the 205-pound division.
Despite his brutal pair of victories over Jackson in Pride, Silva was summarily starched in his third meeting with “Rampage” at UFC 92, as he was knocked cold in the first round. The defeat sparked more debate as to whether “The Axe Murderer” still belongs in the 205-pound division.
Jardine was already slated for a tough bout against
Luis Arthur Cane when Zuffa asked him to headline UFC 96. "The Dean of Mean" stepped up, and now he’ll take on former light heavyweight king Quinton Jackson on March 7 in Columbus, Ohio. The match will be perhaps Jardine's biggest to date.
Keith Jardine's promotion to main event duty at UFC 96 didn't leave "Banha" without an opponent for long. The surging Brazilian banger will take on former WEC light heavyweight champ
Steve Cantwell at UFC 97 in Montreal on April 18.
Thrilling it was not, but Nogueira avenged his August 2002 loss to
Vladimir Matyushenko with a second-round stoppage at Affliction's Jan. 24 "Day of Reckoning." Next for Rogerio is likely a bout in Brazilian mainstay promotion Jungle Fight on April 25.
Silva's first major bout couldn't have gone much more brutally. He was beaten from pillar to post by
Lyoto Machida, who smashed the Brazilian banger just as the first round expired. If nothing else, it's hard to imagine Silva being so dominated in his next bout, no matter who the opponent is.
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