Rampage Near 3 to 1 Favorite at UFC 96, Closer to a LHW Title Fight at UFC 100

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26 February 2009 Comments

ufc96poster The betting odds are out on UFC 96, slated to take place on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. The card features the undefeated Shane Carwin against MMA vet and odds-on favorite Gabriel Gonzaga (-175) in a heavyweight scrap. And, of course, the on-the-whole-a-very-unsexy card will be headlining the top light heavyweight contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against former Ultimate Fighter Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine.

Rampage comes into the fight a near 3 to 1 favorite at -295, while the moneyline on Jardine currently stands at +235. With a win over Jardine, Rampage should catapult himself into a title shot against current UFC Light Heavyweight champ, Rashad Evans, speculated to take place at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Despite the heavy odds in his favor, Rampage needs to be careful not to look past Jardine, a man who has a first-round knockout over former Light Heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin on his resume - the same Griffin who clawed his way to a decision victory over Rampage for the title last July. Jardine has also been training in Georges St-Pierre’s camp, the same camp that prepped GSP for his complete domination of BJ Penn at UFC 94. Jardine has also been training with Rashad Evans at Greg Jackson’s camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Of course, there’s reason to believe Rampage is the heavy favorite coming into this fight. Any doubters need only look at the 3 minute, 21 second mark of Rampage’s last fight, a brutal knockout of longtime nemesis, Wanderlei Silva, at UFC 92 this past December. Following his loss to Forrest Griffin, Rampage has become a rededicated fighter, and seems to want nothing more than to be back on top of his weight class.