UFC 96

By: Guido

UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine
March 7, 2009
Columbus, Ohio
Nationwide Arena

Compared to recent UFC cards(excluding UFC 95(blah)), it's kind of low on stars and huge division shifting fights. Its already been determined that if Jackson was to beat Jardine, then Rashad "Cock Face" Evans' first title defense would be against Rampage Jackson. That's fine by me but I still believe Lyoto Machida should get the first shot at Evans. In the end, though, as long as Evans losses to anybody, I'll take it.

Jardine is an enigma. The guy is fucking strange and unorthadox. he holds victories over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Brandon Vera. However, Jardine has had the shit knocked out of him by Houston Alexander and his bell rung by Wanderlei Silva. It's a very strange, strange, strange lightheavy weight division.
Jardine > Griffin
Jardine > Liddell
Rampage > Liddell
Rampage > Silva(2008, Silva previously beat Rampage in 03 and 04)
Griffin > Rampage
Evans > Liddell
Evans > Griffin
Silva > Jardine
Liddell > Silva
Lyoto Machida > Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Sokodoujdou

So you tell me? Both Machida and Evans are undefeated. Evans did draw against Ortiz since Tito was deducted a point for grabbing the cage. Evans would have lost had Tito not been deducted. So as you can see from the diagram above, anything could happen in the Jackson/Jardine fight. I'm rooting for Jackson.

Main Card
Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine
Guido picks: Jackson by KO
Heavyweight bout: Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Guido picks: Gonzaga by TKO
Welterweight bout: Matt Brown vs. Pete Sell
Guido picks: Brown by decision
Light Heavyweight bout: Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz
Guido picks: Hamill by TKO
Lightweight bout: Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller
Guido picks: Miller by decision