Advertisement

Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans top UFC 92 card

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

These matchups have been in the works for weeks, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship made it official Tuesday, announcing the lineup for UFC 92 on Dec. 27 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

And it’s a dandy.

In the main event, light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin will take on Rashad Evans, the man who staked his claim on a decade’s worth of highlight reels with his sensational one-punch knockout of former champion Chuck Liddell at UFC 88 last month in Atlanta.

Advertisement

Griffin doesn’t have a strong chin, but he has quick feet and the type of ground skills needed to fend off Evans.

In one of two semi-main events, Rampage Jackson, the man who lost his belt to Griffin back in July -- and then went on an energy-drink binge that led to a wild police chase and felony charges -- gets back into the Octagon against Wanderlei Silva. The winner of that match will probably take on the winner of Griffin-Evans in early 2009.

Jackson’s strange behavior following the loss to Griffin was also related to a nasty split with his longtime trainer and manager, Juanito Ibarra, so it’ll be interesting to see what changes Jackson has made under his new team, Liverpool, England-based Wolfslair.

There’s also a pretty good heavyweight match scheduled between Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira, currently the coaches of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’’ reality show. The winner of this bout is set to take on the winner of the Nov. 15 bout between Brock Lesnar and Randy Couture.

Unlike another MMA organization, life must be pretty good in the UFC offices these days.

-- Dan Arritt

Advertisement