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Quinton Jackson (left) was criticised by UFC President Dana White for failing to knock out Matt Hamill (right). AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
UFC

Un-caged: Superfight announced as Quinton goes on the Rampage

“Phil Davis agreed to step in to fight Rashad at UFC 133 and it has since emerged that Jones has decided against getting the surgery and will be able to fight again this year”

DANA WHITE IS a master of good timing.  A disappointing event last weekend left some fans feeling underwhelmed, so the announcement of an exciting new fight will go some way to appeasing the faithful.

White once again showed that his fingers were on the pulse as he announced, via Twitter, that Georges St Pierre will take on Nick Diaz at UFC 137 in October this year.

This is the first inter-organisational match-up between Strikeforce and the UFC since the takeover and will see the two current champion’s face-off in what could be the most eagerly anticipated fight of the year.

With viewing figures down on this seasons’ TUF and coming off a damp squib at UFC 130, where White openly criticised all involved in the two co-main events, this will come as a boost to the UFC fans as it has gone through a bit of a lull recently.

Rampage seeks title shot after overcoming Hamill.

Dana White might have criticised Quinton Jackson for failing to knock Matt Hamill out, but off the back of his dominating performance over the Hammer, Rampage is looking for a possible title showdown with current champ Jon Jones.

This latest news must leave Rashad Evans fuming as it now seems as if Jon Jones has purposely dodged him. Jones pulled out of his proposed bout with Evans citing that he was going to have long-awaited hand surgery.

Phil Davis agreed to step in to fight Rashad at UFC 133 and it has since emerged that Jones has decided against getting the surgery and will be able to fight again this year. This lead to Evans confronting Jones in a nightclub and the verbals continued on Twitter. The news that Evans’ long-time foe could now be next in line for a shot will only rub salt into his wounds.

The UFC president also criticised the performance and condition of Roy “Big Country” Nelson after his unanimous decision loss to Frank Mir Nelson gassed early in the second round and although he lasted the three rounds, it lead White to claim that his substantial gut “Isn’t funny anymore.”

The two were due to meet on Friday to discuss where Nelson’s future now lies. The defeat has been a wakeup call to “big country” as he has been saying he needs to be “stronger, faster, lighter and prettier” via his Twitter page during the week.

New contender in the heavyweight division?

Travis Browne continued his good form by knocking out the well fancied Stefan Struve with a perfectly timed superman punch that earned him knockout of the night bonus.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the UFC, Browne sports an undefeated career record of 11-0-1 and looked impressive as he brushed aside the “skyscraper”. Another win like this could put him in with the top contenders in the heavyweight division.

Brian Stann climbed one step up the middleweight ladder as he KO’d Jorge Santiago in the second round.  The former US Marine Captain had the obligatory chants of “USA, USA” spurring him on as he produced another strong display that delighted the Las Vegas crowd on Memorial Day weekend.

Rick Story also saw his stock rise after a hard-fought decision victory of one time top contender Thiago Alves. This extended his win streak to six and Story could be back in action again by the end of this month as he is rumoured to replace the injured Anthony Jonson by taking on Nate Marqurdt at UFC on Versus 4.