posted December 27, 2008 at 13:00 EST in UFC / MMA Articles
UFC 92 The Ultimate Bad Blood Rematch Jackson vs Silva
by BetUS Staff
Trilogies are still a rare happening in mixed martial arts, and usually only occur when fighters split a pair of fights. As far as I know, this is the first time a major fight has been booked where one fighter holds a 2-0 record over the other. Still, when the fight you're talking about is Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson, I'm not going to complain if they set up a third fight or a fourth fight or a thirty fourth fight. This fight has the potential to be a balls to the walls slobberknocker, and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
The odds on this one are tight, with Wanderlei Silva (-130) the slight favorite over Quinton Jackson (-110). It wouldn't surprise me if the line changes over the next few days, although who knows in which direction ... both fighters are extremely popular and there's more than enough questions in everyone's mind to keep wild money coming in on both sides.
The two biggest questions most people have go like this: Does Wanderlei Silva still have it? And where's Quinton Jackson's head at? Both are very important questions that could supersede all the preparation and training both fighters are engaged in.
Let's look at Wanderlei Silva first. Barring an impressive bum-rush knockout of Keith Jardine earlier this year, Silva's record hasn't been looking all too good lately. After a reign of terror in Japan that saw him go 19-2-2 over six years, Wanderlei hit a skid with two knockout losses in a row to Mirko Crocop and Dan Henderson, followed by a decision loss to Chuck Liddell. It's worth noting that the Liddell fight was a competitive barnburner, but still a clear loss.
Quinton Jackson's post Japan resume looks much better: he is 4-1 with wins over Matt Lindland, Marvin Eastman, Chuck Liddell, and Dan Henderson. His sole loss was a close split decision to Forrest Griffin, one that many people felt he deserved to win.
Comparing these two fighters' records, you might be inclined to bet on Quinton Jackson for the win. But that would be ignoring the two brutal beatings Wanderlei Silva laid upon Jackson in Japan, as well as Jackson's questionable mental state. The two fighters met in 2003 and 2004 with similar results: Wanderlei Silva used his muay thai skills to knee Jackson into oblivion.
As for Jackson's mental state, after his loss to Forrest Griffin he went off the deep end and led police on a highway chase that ended with him in jail. This was followed by a stay at a mental facility and the revelation that Quinton "thought he was a god". Suffice to say, I think there's some serious issues just under the surface and who knows if they'll be a factor in this fight.
Now onto each fighter's respective skills. Quinton Jackson came into MMA primarily as a wrestler who used a lot of slams. Now he has evolved to add a pretty solid striking regiment to his arsenal. His former trainer Juanito Ibarra spent a good amount of time working up Jackson's technical boxing skills to the point where he has excellent accuracy in addition to his knockout power.
Wanderlei Silva on the other hand is more of a brawler. The last two times Silva and Jackson faced each other, Silva used the Thai clinch to devastate Jackson. But in recent times, Wanderlei's style has changed and he hasn't been big on using his knees. I have no doubt Silva will get back inside and try to recreate the magic from the first two fights, but will he be as effective this time?
As far as the ground goes, both fighters are adequate but Rampage should hold the edge here. Wanderlei is going to want to keep this fight standing while Jackson will be more than comfortable in either area. While Quinton looked lost on the ground in his fight with Forrest Griffin, he defeated Dan Henderson using control and effective ground and pound.
Wanderlei's keys to success are in pushing the pace, bullying Jackson, and taking him out of his game plan. If this fight turns into a brawl then Wanderlei has a good chance of knocking Jackson out. For Jackson, he needs to keep his cool and utilize his boxing skills to keep Wanderlei from getting on the inside. When he has the opportunity to take the fight to the ground, he should take it there.
In the end, I think Rampage takes this fight ... unless he mentally cracks. There's a ton of pressure on him, and he did have that ugly incident this summer. Add in the fact that he's facing someone who whupped him twice before and you've got a pretty huge wild card thrown into the mix on this one.
