"Rampage" to Defend Belt Versus Griffin in '08
UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson (Pictures) will defend his belt against fan
favorite Forrest
Griffin (Pictures) after the pair match up as
coaches on the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2008,
the UFC announced Sunday.
Jackson captured the belt in May before defending it against sitting PRIDE 205-pound champion Dan Henderson (Pictures). A nagging hand injury prompted Jackson to take an extended period between fights, allowing the UFC to put him on TUF 7, which will feature an all-middleweight cast.
Griffin is the quintessential "Ultimate Fighter" competitor. A star of the first season of the SpikeTV reality program, Griffin solidified his status as a ranked light heavyweight with a stunning stoppage of Mauricio Rua (Pictures) in September. The win put Griffin in the No. 1 contender slot, according to UFC president Dana White, this despite the success of other light heavyweights, most notably Keith Jardine (Pictures), who in two of his last three fights* stopped Griffin and out-pointed former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures).
*Sherdog.com incorrectly reported that Jardine's last two bouts were victories over Liddell and Griffin, when in fact he lost to Houston Alexander (Pictures) at UFC 71.
Jackson captured the belt in May before defending it against sitting PRIDE 205-pound champion Dan Henderson (Pictures). A nagging hand injury prompted Jackson to take an extended period between fights, allowing the UFC to put him on TUF 7, which will feature an all-middleweight cast.
Griffin is the quintessential "Ultimate Fighter" competitor. A star of the first season of the SpikeTV reality program, Griffin solidified his status as a ranked light heavyweight with a stunning stoppage of Mauricio Rua (Pictures) in September. The win put Griffin in the No. 1 contender slot, according to UFC president Dana White, this despite the success of other light heavyweights, most notably Keith Jardine (Pictures), who in two of his last three fights* stopped Griffin and out-pointed former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures).
*Sherdog.com incorrectly reported that Jardine's last two bouts were victories over Liddell and Griffin, when in fact he lost to Houston Alexander (Pictures) at UFC 71.
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