UFC 86 Weighs In

By:  | Posted: Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 9:17 pm.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson checked in at 205 pounds for his light heavyweight title defense against Forrest Griffin (205) in the featured bout at UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The 16 other men scheduled to compete also cleared their final hurdle at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Jackson and Griffin, two of the sport’s more likable and colorful personalities, served as coaches on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, which debuted in April and concluded in June.

A victor in six consecutive bouts, Jackson’s first-round technical knockout victory over Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 in May 2007 earned him the light heavyweight championship and catapulted the 30-year-old to mainstream superstardom. He followed his conquest of Liddell with a unanimous decision win over Pride Fighting Championships light heavyweight titleholder Dan Henderson at UFC 75 four months later.

At 29-6 (3-0 UFC), Jackson holds victories over one-time Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, ex-UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman and former EliteXC middleweight titleholder Murilo “Ninja” Rua. In addition, he remains the only man to defeat Liddell twice.

“I want to fight a guy who wants to fight,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to fight a guy who wants to run. That’s all that matters to me. I want to fight a fighter.”

Griffin (15-4, 6-2 UFC) last fought in September, when he upset Brazilian superstar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by rear naked choke submission at UFC 76. A man many believed to be the top fighter in the world at 205 pounds, Rua destroyed Jackson at Pride: Total Elimination 2005 in April 2005. Jackson has not lost since.

The first breakthrough superstar produced by “The Ultimate Fighter,” Griffin has risen through the UFC’s light heavyweight ranks quickly, losing only to former champion Tito Ortiz and Keith Jardine inside the Octagon.

“This is the biggest fight of my life,” Griffin said. “I realize that. I’ve done everything right for it. I’ve got no doubts and no worries.”

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UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin
Saturday, July 5
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (205) vs. Forrest Griffin (205)

Ricardo Almeida (185) vs. Patrick Cote (185)
Chris Lytle (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (170)
Marcus Aurelio (155) vs. Tyson Griffin (155)
Gleison Tibau (156) vs. Joe Stevenson (155)
Justin McCully (236) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (249)
Cole Miller (155) vs. Jorge Gurgel (155)
Dennis Siver (155) vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
Justin Buchholz (155) vs. Corey Hill (155)

CATEGORIES:MMA