UFC
UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones says Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be his next opponent
Jun 3, 2011 - 9:20:04 AM UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones says Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be his next opponent

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is gearing up to return to action earlier than expected this fall, and he revealed this week that he will be facing Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

"I'll be fighting Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson next," Jones said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "I'm not allowed to discuss the date because I didn't sign a contract, but yeah, it will be very soon."

That would lead most to believe that Jackson's hand injury then isn't severe enough to keep him out of the fight, after Dana White said following UFC 130 that he may lose out on the shot dependent on how bad the hand was. But if Jackson has been cleared, he's getting the shot.

A former Light Heavyweight Champion in his own right, Jackson will fight for the title for the first time since July of 2008, when he lost the belt to Forrest Griffin.

Though Jones' manager last month said they were looking at an October return to action, Jones now wants to get back into the cage by September. This fight then is likely to take place at UFC 135 in Denver, Colo. on September 24, though nothing is yet official.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This will be a big championship fight for the UFC 135 card if that's where the UFC puts it. However, Jones being moved up to September will again make people wonder why he's not just fighting Rashad Evans and why the UFC hasn't pulled Evans from UFC 133. This will be a good fight, and Jackson is the next best choice after Evans for a shot, but people will still question the booking with Evans and Jones taking separate fights so close to one another.

[Jon Jones art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]