Sources close to Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) have indicated that the explosive (and long-rumored) third showdown between “The Axe Murderer” and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (28-7) is indeed set, according to MMACanada.net.
The blockbuster light heavyweight match up will co-headline UFC 91: “Couture vs. Lesnar” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15.
Bout agreements have been distributed to both fighters and are just now awaiting signatures. Representatives from Silva’s management team, however, indicate that the Brazilian camp will have its end of the agreement signed and completed by the end of the day.
“The Axe Murderer” and “Rampage” of course share quite a bit of history, fighting twice overseas in Japan under the Pride FC banner. Silva was victorious on both occasions and in rather convincing fashion — the fights ended with brutal knockouts.
Since that time, Jackson has indicated that he was not necessarily competing on a level playing field. He and/or his handlers have hinted at everything from unchecked steroid use to crooked officiating. One thing is for certain — Jackson is now a much improved fighter who is dedicated to training with partners who can elevate his game.
That was something that he was clearly missing in “The Land of the Rising Sun.” And now he gets to prove that with the right approach — and under strict supervision of a regulated sanctioning body — he can exact revenge once and for all.
Silva’s last appearance was an absolute mauling of “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine at UFC 84: “Ill Will” back in May. He definitely looked like the “Axe Murderer” of old with a quick and vicious knockout. For “Rampage,” this will mark his first fight after his highly publicized run-ins with the law and his subsequent split with long-time trainer, Juanito Ibarra.
He will also look to bounce back from his controversial unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” in July, which cost him his 205-pound title.
This is definitely a huge fight that the hardcore fans have been dreaming about — Silva and Jackson have an epic feud and a real distaste for one another. This should definitely be another instant classic.
To check out the latest UFC 91 fight card and rumors click here. This is already shaping up to be a downright monster pay-per-view (PPV) event.
162 Comments »
How do you tink betting odds will open for this fight, anyone?
By the way, I’m stoked!!
Rampage -150
sounds about right, i bet it he could be more of a favorite even… maybe even -200
No Way
I have a very close/small over/under for this one.
I think the octagon favors Rampage, as Wandy won’t be able to corner Rampage as easily as in Pride/ring. Then again, its a coil flip once they go into clinch. Either a devastating Rampage uppercut or Wandy pulls out the MT clinch and sends Rampages jaw flying to the audience with a knee.
Fun match-up, I like them both. If Rampage loses, its two in a row, then a title shot is far far away. If Wandy wins, its two in a row, then a title shot is quite possible.
As much as wanderlei has had success against Rampage out f the Tai clinch, I think wanderlei needs to stay away from the tai clinch this time around because I realy believe that Rampage will try to catch wanderlei’s leg when wanderlei tries to knee him, and turn it into a body slam. Both times Rampage lost to wanderlie, he unsuccessfully tried slamming wanderlei. If Wandy clinches, he is going to get slammed this time.
I willl be very happy once this fighht gets signed. Wandy is a very smart guy. He was obssessed with fighting on the December card, but now that Brock/Couture has been boked for November, its the new BIG EVENT of the year.
Can we order this ppv right now? lol
I kinda hope Rampage is favored so I , intern, get a favored bet on Wandi to earn some nice change.
i like wandi in this one again. his conditioning has never been better, and training with team couture seems to have rejuvenated him. rampage has alot of obstacles to overcome with his loss to forrest and firing juanito and joining a new camp. not to mention his road rage incident. if rampage can over come these trials and beat a man who has beat him twice i will be awed. i dont think its gonna happen though. WAR WANDI!
I think Rampage will be the favorite because he has a significant amount more octagon time then wandi has, and the public knows rampage much better than wanderlei i believe… this does not mean i believe rampage will win, just my reasoning behind the betting lines… if i were a bookie they would both be -120
I think that you are off your rocker about the public and these two fighters, my goodness. Wandi practically gets standing ovations when ever he comes out. Look at it from this perspective, rampage has lost to wandi twice quite brutally actually, rampage is in the midst of a legal battle, jackson has quite a few things to overcome in order for him to win this fight, leagal issuses and two brutal loses, no matter the fluff that rampage tries to make people believe about those fights in pride he got his arse handed to him twice, thats gotta play on a guys mind.
How can you say that rampage is better known than wandi in the states, do you see the applause that comes whenever wandi enters the ring.
No matter what fluff jackson tries to make people believe about those fights in pride he received two devastating loses. Don’t try and tell me that that will not play on him along with the legal issues that are in front of him right now, IMO jackson has too many things stacked against him to win this fight.
It’s been 4 yrs since Rampage’s last ass whuping’ by Wanderlei. There’s a lot on Rampage’s plate right now and he has to face a guy that’s given him some of the worst beatings he’s ever received, however, he’s a much better fighter from 4 yrs ago.
Rampage gets the ‘W’
This will be a good return fight possibly. A good motivator at least. I really hate this fight and love it. I am a fan of both of them. But it is a great fight that should happen. I can’t decide who I want to win though. I am leaning towards Rampage just because he has already lost to Wandi twice and this would be his second loss in a row….then again, Wandi just had his first win in the octagon. I wish this fight wasn’t happening now. I would prefer Rampage vs Shogun. They both just lost to Forrest.
I think the deciding factor will be who is most aggressive in this one as we all know Wanderlei was and is at his most dangerous when he is angry.
they are both knockout merchants but a lot of Wanderlei’s fights come down to the fact that he will hurt you everywhere especially when he was in Pride where he would hurt you in the clinch, in the corner of the ring and then even when you tried to hide fom it on the ground he would start stomping and kicking people in the head and was a big part of his arsenal.
Because of this I think it will be a lot more evenly matched in this fight and as someone else mentioned I think it will better for Rampage for the fight being in a cage over a ring. This will be very tough to pick a winner.
This is gonna be huge and even though it is only a 3 round fight I dont see it lasting that long anyway.
Fight of the night for sure!
dude, I told you about this fight going down way back when Thiago got injured and everyone was looking for an opponent for Machida and even prior to that I incorrectly thought it would take place at 92 when the Couture/Lesnar news came out.
Just thought I’d throw that out there and try and get some props for once…
BTW, Rampage takes this by KO in the 3rd. He only really got whooped in the first fight back when he didn’t have proper training camp. Even in the 2nd fight he didn’t, but he was fighting hurt and because of the ref and the ropes, etc. he lost that one too. Rampage is a completely different fighter and he is more than anxious to get back on the winning side of things. He’s going to be down right scary as this fight approaches, guarantee it!
Still think he’ll get his ass kicked Again.
Definitely respect your take Anthony, but I gotta disagree. I think a lot of people make too much of the ‘Rampage is an entirely different fighter…’ theory, especially in the case of a possible match-up with Wand.
First, I really need someone to help clear up this ‘much improved fighter’ thing. It isn’t that I don’t think Rampage has certainly evolved from his first fights under the Pride banner, but the argument that he has improved so tremendously since he last fought Wand doesn’t hold as much water with me.
He gave an (in all honesty) understandably mediocre performance in his octagon debut, with a win nevertheless, over a less than game Eastman. His performance against Liddell can only be assessed from a ridiculously quick flash knockout which didn’t give us any real indication of how that match could have unfolded in the later rounds. He went to a decision with Henderson (what fighter from Pride HASN’T…) in what was Hendo’s first fight back in the UFC in years, and finally a close (read: really, really close) fight with Griffin.
I’ll concede that we’ve seen some improvement since Rampage’ earliest fights in Pride (though his destruction of Arona was certainly more impressive than anything he’s done yet in the octagon, in my opinion) but not to the extent I think a lot of Rampage fans would like to believe.
Then you have Wandy, who really needs no credibility defense. His initial fight back in the UFC against Chuck was a loss, of course, but he still looked pretty damn good. Not many guys can stand up and take that kind of beating while still pushing forward. You have to also give the guy credit as he was coming in to Chuck’s house as it were and fighting in an unfamiliar octagon (both mental stigmas which clearly affected his nerves and game plan). I think, fairly, every Pride fighter has to be given some exception for their first fight in the UFC simply for the need to get adjusted to the changes. His second fight, however, came as very little surprise to a lot of people.
People will argue that Jardine has a much weaker strike defense and chin than Rampage, and I’d agree. But I don’t know if that is entirely what that match, or any Wanderlei victory for that matter, boiled down to. Commonly, what you’ll find is that the opponents that have beaten Wandy in the past were either a) freakishly good strikers who delivered a KO most others couldn’t dream of, or b) a fighter who has the mental toughness to not scratch their game plan when Wandy turns into the “Axe Murderer”. Henderson is one of these fighters.
I don’t think that Rampage has that mental toughness, especially now. If Griffin’s slow and calculated performance got Rampage confused and off-game, what do you think is going to happen (for a third time…) when Wanderlei comes with a flurry of Muay Thai as he more than often does?
Bottom line I think is that this fight is going to whoever is more able of delivering that flash KO strike, which will set up the finishing strikes and subsequent referee stoppage. Sure, they’re both capable, but who’s proven that they can deliver that strike to the other, and who seems more mentally focused right now?
Someone would be silly to put the money down on Jackson in November.
I agree with Skeletonkey. In all honesty, I DON’T think Rampage has improved as a fighter. He beat Chuck, who he had already beaten, barely won a fight with Lindland I thought he lost, beat an outmatched Eastman, and lost to Forrest who he was supposed to run over. IMO his only impressive performance was vs Hendo, who Rampage was a good style matchup for in the first place.
His boxing doesn’t look any different than it used to be. He was always a solid wrestler that was VERY strong. And he still covers up in the same manner that allows fighters like Silva, Shogun, and Ninja to easily clinch with him and administer a ton of knees.
Watch Rampage vs Shogun to see what I’m talking about. Shogun throws a few punches and instantly clinches when Page covers up. The chute box (well, former chute box) fighters have Page figured out.
Very well put, a brilliant account
Jackson’s boxing looks better, it’s not as wild and much more accurate, his knowledge has greatly increased from 4 yrs ago. The 2004 fight Jackson lost to Wanderlei he had a very promising 1st rnd before he gassed out in the second. Jackson ‘Fasted’ for 3 days prior to the fight… ‘yeah’ he’s kinda nuts’
I don’t believe Jackson’s trainers are going to let him make those same mistakes and watch him get pummled with knees over n’ over… ‘yeah’ Jackson is definitely left of center, but I gotta’ go with him for the ‘W’ this one.
BTW, I like Rampage, but would be happy if Wanderlei won, he’s a lot of fun to watch fight and he seems like a really great guy.
Wow (sarcasm), maybe this can co- main event with franklin vs Silva. I just have NO interest in either one of these.
You have no interest in this fight? I am confused???
Really? You might be one out of the few who would agree, but I think the majority might disagree with you. I mean, so much has changed since they’ve fought, it’s nowhere along the lines of Franklin vs Silva because of how much time has passed for each fighter to evolve. Trust me, this will be way different fight than what went down in Pride.
couldn’t agree more. I would just forget those fights ever happened if I were you. Personally, I already have…
wait, what fights? huh?
Agreed, Rampage got stomped out twice. Clear cut winner with no questions left. Shogun rematch or machida would be more interesting at this point. What a waste but it get Wand closer to a title shot in shorter amt of time so whatever i guess.
People are actually discussing who would win Rampage vs Wandy III.
Do you honestly think that’s comparable to Franklin vs Silva? Does anyone think Franklin would come close to beating Silva?
Your lack of interest in the fight has a somewhat obvious implication that you think the fight will turn out the same way as the first two fights.
Did you even watch the second fight? It’s hard to say that Rampage was losing the fight prior to the fight-ending knee. He had Wanderlei in trouble as well. Franklin posed no threat to Wanderlei at all.
Besides, the fights were awesome.
People are actually discussing who would win Rampage vs Wandy III.
Do you honestly think that’s comparable to Franklin vs Silva? Does anyone think Franklin would come close to beating Silva?
Your lack of interest in the fight has a somewhat obvious implication that you think the fight will turn out the same way as the first two fights.
Did you even watch the second fight? It’s hard to say that Rampage was losing the fight prior to the fight-ending knee. He had Wanderlei in trouble as well. Franklin posed no threat to Anderson at all.
Besides, the fights were awesome/entertaining.
Brutal finishes or not, the 2 fights they had were exciting as hell. These weren’t completely one sided fights like Franklin/Silva, Tito/Chuck, or Tito/Shamrock. This is a rivalry that has 2 of the most exciting mma fights of all time in it. I’d say it is the greatest rivalry in mma history to be honest.
Silva by KO in the third, btw.
I guess the reason I posted that is that I’m not sold on Rampage’s mental stability as of yet. Maybe hoping for a tune up fight before he faces the likes of Silva. To get beat by Forrest, cheated by his “friend” and trainer Ibarra, and then have to face Wanderlei? Tough stuff. He must have b@lls the size of churchbells. Just not sure this is all that SMART of a fight for him to take at this point.
ken shamrock sounds serious. sherdog has a press conference with him and kimbo…I’ll be laying the max betus of 500 (pretty lame max bet) on kenny!!
wow its been a long time since i would think putting money on ken would be a good idea
Good to know this fight is gonna possibly happen
Hells Yes!!!
No way will Rampage lose this fight for a 3rd time. I just dont see it. Winner gets Griffin/Evans? Or Lyoto finally get his shot.
3rd times a charm….and machida wont get a title shot hes very technical but very boring to watch….he only has a hand full of fans and the ufc sees that not to bash him but a least engage in the fight…its funny when he says “I WANT TO KNOCK HIM OUT” lol…yeah right he does the same thing all the time…even when he submited soko he laid on him for like 3 minutes….even joe rogan apoligized to the crowed for the BORING FIGHTS…of the night….
skoler1 - You definitely don’t remember the Machida vs. Soku fight. Machida dropped Soku with a punch, then sunk in the choke. I predicted that scenario, except I predicted it would happen in the 3rd round, not the 2nd… lucky guess.
Could turn out like Sakuraba, 3rd times just another beating…
One of these guys should fight Lyoto. Maybe the winner?
I’m Taking Wandi- Again -Ko Again-
Wandeco by murder in the first degree!
I agree!!!
Any idea why they have serious beef with each other?
It says above about Rampage and his camp hinting, steroids and crooked officiating. Plus 2 vicious KO’s that Wandy handed him lol!
Rampage’s Mouth After the First fight.
That only came after they both left Pride. The reason they have so much hate is because Rampage called out wandy before the Pride GP and was basically pointing to his d*ck, and wandy got really p*ssed. He ran inside the ring and pushed page and everybody had to break them up. After that they were always talking sh*t about themselves to the cameras. Rampage feels that wandy thinks everybody should be scared of him, and wandy feels that page does not respect him as a fighter. And the rest is history
good videos to check out on the matter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_CWX14vA5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iye2baw64eg
there was one with the full incident from beginning to end, but can’t find it and I don’t have the time anymore
That’s the 411! Thanks, linx. Cool inside stuff.
linx, that second video is bomb! Can’t wait to see the countdown videos for this fight!! War Rampage!!!
Man. This may be the end of Rampage. Then who’s nutz will some of you hug?
hug mine, theres plenty to share
Monster PPV is right! Wanderlei is getting his ear bit off. But the fight will end with Wandy standing over Rampage for the 3rd time!!!
LMAO at the Tyson refrences.
NICE!!!!! I don’t how anybody thinks Rampage will win this fight, all things considered.
Truth.
yeah i love this fight but i think it may be bad timing for rampage to fight wandy right now
205 division hurts my brain!
Word.
LOL!
ill take rampage in this time around i think he has improved alot since their last show down and i think wandy is the same fighter but on the decline while rampage is at his peak right now.
there is also the problem with his new camp and also the court issues… I’m still thinking this will play a factor.
ME TOO! as posted above.
fine, think it will be a factor. Better money for me on the Rampage bets and when he wins I’ll be coming here telling you “I told you so!” Rampage ain’t even thinking about that shit right now. Rampage wants to get back in the ring and show his fans that that loss was a fluke, kill Wanderlei and get his belt back. This is personal for Rampage in this 3rd fight. I think we see a whole new Rampage in this one, and that’s some scary shit.
LOL, he’s going to prove the loss to griffin was a fluke by beating wandy? good luck is all I can say
I don’t understand how anyone can think it was a fluke. Griffin was the clear winner. Straight up.
The only thing that is scary about Rampage lately, is him behind the wheel of a car. Seriously, there is not 1 positive thing I can think of in Rampages favor that leads me to believe he can or will win this fight. Help me out, what is it specifically that makes you think he will win????? All the things you listed you are clearly speculating what he is thinking. I can list facts, so what is it?
fine.
all you haters will be proved wrong…
You do realize that this is a forum where we debate, right? If all you come with is “fine” I will be sure to never respond to 1 of your posts again.
i think if wandy loses we will see a chuck vs. wandy two with the loser ending his career cause both of these fighters have been losing alot recently after their long reigns of success.
LMAO, He said “FINE” like he was a salty kid who took his ball home so no one could play with it! LMAO!!!
BNF: ia m not going to sit here and tell you that I know who is winning this fight because I have NO idea. I am a Bigtime fan of both fighters so I really dont care who wins as long as the winner gets Forrest!
What I do know is that Rampage is going to SLAM wanderlie. I dont know if it will end the fight or not, but I promise you that wanderlei is getting BOdy slammed or Suplexed, Bet my house on it! In both their previous fights Rampage tried to slam wandy but was unsuccessful, this time he will Do it! I have a feeling wandy will slap the tai clinch on Rampage and as Wandy brings his knee up to blast rampage, rampage will catch the leg and turn it into a body slam. THat is the perfect defense against knees out of the tai clinch (if you have that kind of power) which Rampage does (damn I should be a trainer) lol.
no matter what it will be an EPIC battle. I am just going to bet the underdog, whoever he is and sit back and enjoy a fight I have been waiting years to see
Another way of trying to get out of the Tai clinch, is to circle your way out while trying to shake the guy off your neck. Franklin had some success with that in his 2nd fight vs. Anderson. Rampage should win this fight as long as he can stay away from eating wanderlei’s knees!
I dont know who to root for
fine
lmao, maybe i just like saying fine rather than arguing with people that seem to be as stubborn as I am about the way fights are going to go.
Y is A getting all butt hurt. y would they have a retirement match this isn’t wwe
It’s kind of funny how john makes fun of a guy for saying ‘fine’ when he (john) frequently uses the phrase ‘hi hater’
its even funnier how u are obssessed with me
i hope wandy knocks him the f… out. it’s gonna be great either way.
Just A Question If Rampage loses Then Comes Back Wins Agains I don’t know Someone like a top ten. then gets beat again are people going to want him to quit.hahha
so who rua gonna fight?
hopefully Chuck
Or Sokogu
soku would make sense, but so would machida imo. both would be great fights.
One guess. He has A Mo hawk And a tat on his skull
James Thompson??
supposedly machida…
really. that would cool if it was on the same card
Yep Machida vs Shogun, that the rumor at least.
nice, Shogun has perfect style to beat Machida, well rounded brutal assauult!
brendan - Shogun has the perfect style to get his ass handed to him by Machida.
doesn’t sound like that’s happening anyway
Soko baby!!
Im going with Wandy. He will knock Rampage the f*uck out, again. As for the accusations Rampage made against Wandy, I kind of find it hard to believe a guy that also accused the Devil of going after Brian. I’m just saying.
LOL, so true!
its funny how everyone in pride is accused of taking steroids but rampage, he looks as big as the next guy.
not only that, page is also the only one who bad mouths Pride, no one else who came from there bad mouths it…
Well, I must say I’ve thought of it. Wandi and Shogun are my favorite fighters, but Wandi doesn’t seem quite as hefty in the UFC, and well Shogun looked a shadow of his former self. Not sure what it is, but Page’s power looks pretty natural to me, and he’d have been caught by now if he was doping.
One thing that has me thinking is that they don’t stand the fight up as quickly in the UFC as they did in Pride, which definitely plays to Rampage’s favor. I also think that Page has learned to defend the clinch since then. I think it’s going to be fairly even.
i think your wrong dave look at that picture above, wandy looks alot bigger now than in pride.don’t you think rampage looks bigger does that mean he is juicing.
This is nuts. ‘Page is coming off of legal problems, emotional problems and a very flat performance v. Griffin. He has changed camps to boot.
I thought Dana LIKED ‘Page. LOL.
Factors weigh in Wandy’s favor…
Couldn’t agree more!