Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine

Quinton Jackson looks to come back from his title loss to Forrest Griffin, but you never know what’s going to happen when “Lights Out” Jardine steps in to the Octagon.

Keith Jardine has tough decision victories over Chuck Liddell and former heavyweight contender Brandon Vera. Wanderlei Silva and flash-in-the-pan Houston Alexander have also knocked him out. The last time Keith got a big win was against Forrest Griffin in his pre-championship form.

As for Quinton, we know what to expect…

…He’ll come in aggressive as all hell (make the obligatory highway joke here) looking for nothing less than a knockout. Rampage’s only defeat in the octagon was a razor-close decision loss to Forrest Griffin. His recent KO over the Axe Murderer was spectacular. There’s no doubt that Quinton deserves to be the favorite in this match.

Jardine will look to follow the Forrest-style plan of chopping down Quinton with leg kicks. He’ll also have to follow Griffin’s style of counter-punching. In other words – he’s got to strike and move away before eating one of Quinton’s coma-inducing punches.

Keith doesn’t stand a chance of winning this fight if it turns into a brawl.

Granted, Jardine has had his share of finishes but Quinton is much better at that, especially at this point in his career.

Jardine doesn’t have the length of Forrest Griffin nor the technical skill. His infamous “herky-jerky” style has baffled opponents in the past but it won’t be enough to win him the fight.

Much like former teammate Diego Sanchez, Jardine will have to evolve as a fighter to win this fight. Going for a surprise takedown (like he did in the Vera fight) would be a good idea. Rampage doesn’t have the greatest ground game in the world but it’s doubtful Jardine will be the one to exploit.

Having said that, it’s still worth a try Saturday at UFC 96.

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