| Sign Up | Google+

UFC 144: Rampage Jackson vs Ryan Bader booked for Feb. 26 in Japan

Stay connected for news and updates

Just days after complaining on Twitter that he wouldn't be fighting in Japan when the UFC returns to the country on Feb. 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Quinton Jackson has been booked for exactly that.

"Rampage" will take on Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight contest on the main card of UFC 144, which is scheduled to air stateside on Feb. 25 on pay-per-view, according to ESPN.com.

This leaves Stephan Bonnar, who had been campaigning for a bout against the former champion, out in the cold.

Jackson gets his wish to fight in his beloved "Land of the Rising Sun" after saying he was "not happy at all" about not fighting in Japan thinking it was "a big mistake by the UFC."

All is forgiven now, I'm sure.

"Rampage" will be attempting to rebound from his failed bid to win back the light heavyweight championship against Jon Jones this past Sept. 24 in Denver.

In that fight, Jackson was outclassed, outgunned, out-everything-you-can-think-of-ed. When all was said and done, he was tapping to a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, just the second time he's done so in his career.

Bader, meanwhile, competed just this past weekend at UFC 139, scoring a first round knockout victory over Jason Brilz. The fact that he barely broke a sweat made it possible for him to have such a quick turnaround to fight in February.

That win was "Darth's" first in three fights. But if he can get past Jackson, he'll be right back at the top of the contender line.

UFC 144 is expected to be headlined by a 155-pound title fight featuring Ben Henderson, fresh off his unanimous decision win over Clay Guida, taking on reigning lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. In addition, Jake Shields returns to action against Yoshihiro Akiyama, while Yushin Okami battles Tim Boetsch in a manly middleweight match up.

For the latest UFC 144 news and notes be sure to check out our complete archive right here.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Recent Posts

Stay connected for news and updates

The Next Read

There are 164 Comments. Load Now. Loading

Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.

C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read

R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next

Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read

Comment Settings

Live comment alert: Hide it!

Comments for this post are closed.

tracking_pixel_5349_tracker tracking_pixel_5351_tracker