The UFC announced that Quintion “Rampage” Jackson is headed back to the UFC. Bellator MMA announced that he is still signed with them, but will hopefully break all ties to make his way back into the UFC octagon. Many have wondered who he will face first, but here are some possibilities.
1. Fabio Maldonado.
Maldonado was the first one to call out Rampage Jackson following the announcement that the UFC has signed him and he is willing to throw hands with the “brawl-happy” Pride veteran. Maldonado is a fan-favorite in Brazil and would love to welcome Rampage back into the octagon.
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Shogun has a brutal victory over Rampage in Pride by soccer kicks and it would be a great fight for the hardcore fans to see where both fighters are at today. Rampage has won his last 3 fights, but has not faced the same types of fighters as he did in the UFC. Shogun has lost 4 out of 5 of his last fights and has a lot to prove if he wants to continue to fight. A name like Rampage could really get him back into the swing of things with a win. It would also be two legends that fans really respect and appreciate and would draw a lot of attention.
3. Rashad Evans.
Rampage feels that he has some unfinished business with Rashad Evans and really think that he could have knocked Evans out in their last fight. Rampage mentioned that he didn’t lose a fight, he actually just lost a wrestling match in his opinion. Evans has a bout lined up with Glover Texiera, so time will tell if that will even be possible. Evans has been nursing some injuries that have kept him out of action for a while. If these two fought again, it would most certainly be a must-see.
4. Anderson Silva.
Silva does have a high-profile fight with Nick Diaz at the end of this month, but if Silva come out the victor, this could really set up a main event that a lot of people would pay to see. Both of them are some of the biggest names in the sport and Rampage would be happy to go toe-to-toe with Silva. Each of them would have a lot to gain from winning against each other. The pay-per views for this fight would be through the roof.
5. Brock Lesnar(If he signs with the UFC again)
Rampage has always had problems with cutting too much weight to get down to light-heavyweight and has paid the price for it by gassing in later rounds. If Rampage would allow himself to bulk up to his full size and strength, he could be a monster. What would be a better opposing monster to test himself against than Brock Lesnar? Both fighters would go in to entertain the fans, there would only be a small chance of this fight going the distance and it would be an instant classic in the making. Lesnar would have to face a fighter that also has star power and Rampage is just the man to fulfill the task. Call this a crazy idea, but this one would be the top choice out of all of them to really punch up the UFC pay-per-view numbers and get UFC star power going again.
Once all of the contracts and negotiations with other companies get settled, it will be exciting no matter who Rampage faces and many fans are waiting to see who it is and when it will be. Rampage is an undeniable fan favorite with legendary status and it will be one hot ticket when he sets foot back into the octagon.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSToddP. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
