Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson rematch confirmed for summer

A fight that Rampage has been asking for for the past 7 years will finally come to reality. Per mmamania.com and mmajunkie.com, verbal agreements are in for the long awaited rematch. For newcomers to the UFC, Shogun holds a victory over Rampage stemming from their Pride days in 2005. He shot out of his ring corner at the bell, attacked Rampage with knees and kicks and used his devastating Muay Thai plum to defeat Rampage. Shogun won a first round TKO that really announced his arrival to MMA superstardom. Shogun went on to win the Pride Grand Prix (besting Overeem, Noguiera, afore-mentioned Rampage and Arona) before transitioning to the UFC.

For Rampage, it's been a rough 6 months. He lost his title opportunity to Jon Jones in September of 2011, hurt his knee, missed weight by 6 pounds before his next fight and then lost a lackluster decision to Ryan Bader in February of 2012 It was obvious to anyone watching that Rampage was clearly hurt but he accepted the fight so it is what it is. Rampage has spent the last week asking the UFC for a release, stating that they have constantly disrespected him and are now trying to lower his pay. Well, Rampage is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. One of those wins was a close split decision to Lyoto Machida that really could have gone either way so he realistically could be 1-4 in his last 5 fights. To be blunt, his value is not nearly as high as it was a couple of years ago and the UFC is not in the wrong for asking him to take a pay cut. It's strictly a business decision but Rampage is a very sensitive guy so that is why he is so upset. I love the guy for his past performances but his lack of worth ethic in the past seems to be catching up to him.

The rematch will take place sometime in the summer, per Dana White. This is also the last fight on Rampage's contract so Rampage will leave the UFC after the conclusion of this fight. For my analysis of the fight, it's really a toss up. Shogun is my favorite fighter but his performances have been very inconsistent since coming over to the UFC from Pride. His constant knee problems (and surgeries) have really hindered him and he is far from the wrecking machine he was in Pride. Even in his war with Dan Henderson (the best MMA fight I have ever seen), he looked slow and flat-footed. That being said, he is still much quicker than Rampage and should look to attack Rampage's legs with leg kicks. This will pay dividends in the later rounds. Rampage will not check leg kicks (for some reason) and will look to plod forward and land with either a right or left handed bomb. Both are known for their iron chins so it will most likely go to a decision.

MMA is a crazy sport. Rampage beat Chuck Liddell for the title in May of 2007. He was considered unbeatable and would hold the belt for a long time. He held the belt for a little over a year before losing it to Forrest Griffin and really hasn't looked great since then. It'll be an odd feeling to watch Rampage fight for the "last time" in the UFC (I say "last time" because I think he'll patch things up with Dana and fight for the UFC again) but good luck to the former champion. I'll be rooting hardcore for Shogun but it'll be nice to see 2 Pride vets go at it. Let's just hope that it's a great sequel to their first fight and that Shogun comes out on top.