Quinton Jackson

All eleven fighters drug tested by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts at UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio have tested negative.

MMA Junkie first reported the negative results yesterday.

Tested for recreational drugs (such as marijuana and cocaine) as well as performance enhancers (such as anabolic steroids) were Quinton Jackson, Shane Carwin, Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, Gray Maynard, Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Day, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson.

All of the tested fighters except Day earned wins at UFC 96.

For more UFC 96 coverage check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 96 category.

Gabriel Gonzaga

Six UFC 96 fighters have been issued medical suspensions by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Pete Sell, Mike Patt, and Jason Day each received 30-day precautionary suspensions for their UFC 96 TKO losses.

Gabriel Gonzaga and Mark Munoz were both issued 60-day suspensions following their knockout losses on the evening’s main card.

Ryan Madigan, who suffered a first-round knockout to Tamdan McCrory on the event’s preliminary card, has been suspended indefinitely due to an eye injury suffered in the bout and will have to be medically cleared before being eligible to return to action.

For more UFC 96 coverage check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 96 archive.

Shane Carwin

Eleven UFC 96 competitors, including all ten of the evening’s winners, were drug tested by the Ohio Athletic Commission following their bouts on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

According to MMA Junkie the tested fighters were Quinton Jackson, Shane Carwin, Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, Gray Maynard, Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Day, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson.

The results of the tests, which detect both recreational drugs (such as marijuana and cocaine) as well as performance enhancers (such as anabolic steroids), will be made available in several weeks.

For more UFC 96 coverage check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 96 archive.

Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine Exchange Punches at UFC 96

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and top 205-pound contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson topped Keith Jardine on Saturday via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 96 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The event, the promotion’s third-straight March event in Columbus, drew an official attendance of 17,033 for a live gate of $1.8 million.

The opening round of the headliner saw Jardine edge Jackson on the majority of the judge’s scorecards, clinching with Jackson from the opening bell and looking for a takedown midway through the frame while nearly completely neutralizing Jackson from doing any damage.

Jardine opened the second with wild punches the failed to find their mark before “Rampage” sent him to the canvas with a left hook. Despite Jackson’s best efforts Jardine quickly returned to his feet but the tide had turned. After briefly taking Jardine to the ground midway through the round, Jackson closed the frame with a late flurry, winning the round with 10-9 scores from all three judges.

After briefly exchanging early in the third, Jackson again took Jardine down but the fighters were quickly back on their feet. Jackson continued to look for an opening to finish Jardine but none were presented. Instead, he slowly wore Jardine down over the final minutes before finally sending him to the canvas with a last-second combo. The flurry sealed the victory for Jackson, who received scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.

Immediately after Jackson was declared the winner in the evening’s headliner the UFC offered him a bout against title-holder Rashad Evans which would headline UFC 98 on May 23rd in Las Vegas. Provided he’s injury free and up for the quick turnaround “Rampage” is expected to accept the opportunity to attempt to reclaim the light hevyweight belt.

Shane Carwin proved he’s among the promotion’s top heavyweights on Saturday with a knockout of former title-challenger Gabriel Gonzaga just over one minute into the UFC 96 co-main event.

Matt Brown, Matt Hamill, and Gray Manard also picked up main card victories, while Tamdan McCrory, Kendall Grove, Jason Brilz, Brandon Vera, and Shane Nelson were victorious on the UFC 96 preliminary card.

The UFC awarded $60,000 fight-night bonuses to Jackson, Jardine, and Hamill for their performances with Jackson and Jardine taking home “Fight of the Night” honors while Hamill received “Knockout of the Night” for his first-round head kick KO of Mark Munoz. A “Submission of the Night” award was not given out as none of the evening’s ten bouts ended via submission.

The event’s complete results were:

• Quinton Jackson def. Keith Jardine via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Shane Carwin def. Gabriel Gonzaga via knockout (punch) — Round 1, 1:09
• Matt Brown def. Pete Sell via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:32
• Matt Hamill def. Mark Munoz via knockout (head kick) — Round 1, 3:53
• Gray Maynard def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Tamdan McCrory def. Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:35
• Kendall Grove def. Jason Day via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 1:32
• Jason Brilz def. Tim Boetsch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brandon Vera def. Mike Patt via TKO (leg kick) — Round, 1:27
• Shane Nelson def. Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 0:44

UFC 96 Poster

The weigh-ins at Nationwide arena are now completed for tomorrow night’s UFC 96. All twenty fighters made weight including the headliners Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (205), and Kieth Jardine (204). Full Weigh-In results are included below.

UFC 96 is scheduled to take place tomorrow night, at the Nationwide arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Pay-Per-View televised portion of the event is scheduled to begin tomorrow night at 7pm PST/10pm EST.

MAIN CARD

• Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Keith Jardine (204)
• Shane Carwin (259.5) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (257.5)
• Matt Brown (170.5) vs. Pete Sell (170)
• Matt Hamill (205) vs. Mark Munoz (204.5)
• Gray Maynard (155) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Ryan Madigan (169) vs. Tamdan McCrory (170)
• Jason Day (184.5) vs. Kendall Grove (185)
• Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Jason Brilz (204)
• Michael Patt (204.5) vs. Brandon Vera (205)
• Shane Nelson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)

Joe Duarte

A lightweight bout pitting Joe Duarte against Shawn David has been added to the undercard of UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine, which takes place on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio.

The matchup was reported earlier this month by Pacific Daily News, which adds that Duarte was originally slated to fight Enrico Cocco at the event but will instead fight David after Cocco sustained an undisclosed injury.

Duarte (4-1) briefly appeared on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, losing to eventual runner-up Phillipe Nover in the 155-pound tournament’s preliminary round. “Hybrid” has gone 1-1 since appearing on the show, posting a first-round submission of Pierre Dumont in October before suffering his first career loss via first-round TKO to Kenny Raught in November.

David (3-3) has just one victory in his last four attempts and, like Duarte, “Mighty Mouse” was most-recently defeated by Kenny Raught in December.

For the latest UFC 96 fight card check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Tamdan McCrory

In an ironic turn of events, Ben “Killa B” Saunders has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout at UFC 96: Jackson v. Jardine. His replacement will be Tamdan “The Barn Cat” McCrory, who will step in to face newcomer Ryan Madigan. What makes this ironic is; Madigan took the fight with Saunders as a replacement for an injured Dustin Hazelett, who submitted McCrory his last time out.

McCrory stands at 2-2 inside the Octagon with wins over veteran fighter, Pete Spratt and “Ultimate Fighter” season 2 runner-up, Luke Cummo. Madigan brings an unblemished MMA record, along with his Dangerous kickboxing skills to the bout.

It is as yet uncertain if this fight will be on the main card or in the prelims. Also, scheduled for the event; the headlining Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Keith Jardine, Matt Hamill vs. Mark Munoz, and Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga.

For the latest UFC 96 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Quinton Jackson

The UFC announced during today’s UFC 93 broadcast that light heavyweight contenders Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Keith Jardine will meet in the main event of UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio.

Earlier reports suggested that Jackson would meet Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title in the UFC 96 headliner while Jardine, who was originally slated to be in action at UFC 96, was rumored to be meeting Luis Cane at UFC 97 in April.

With fellow 205-pound contender Forrest Griffin sidelined until late-Summer with a broken hand, the winner of the matchup is likely to challenger Rashad Evans for the light heavyweight title, potentially in the main event of UFC 100 in July.

Rashad Evans

UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is likely to make his first title defense against former title-holder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the main event of UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio, according to MMAMania.com.

Both fighters were last in action at UFC 92 on December 27th with Evans claiming the 205-pound strap from Forrest Griffin via third-round TKO in the evening’s main event, while Jackson scored a first-round knocked out rival Wanderlei Silva.

The headlining bout for UFC 96 has been a hot topic of discussion in recent days as the fight card rapidly filled but no main event worthy bouts were added. Speculation pointed towards Anderson Silva making a middleweight title defense, top draw Chuck Liddell facing a fellow 205-pounder, or Evans and Jackson meeting for the light heavyweight title, with the promotion apparently settling for the premier light heavyweight championship clash.

Keep in mind that this fight is not yet official and both fighters must still agree to quick turnarounds for an early-March return. However, with the promotion desperate to book a solid headlining bout it appears likely that the UFC will again promote a premiere main event in the Buckeye State, following past headliners Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia (UFC 68), Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin (UFC 77), and Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson (UFC 82).