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It seems that the fight between Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans, which was slated to be the main event on UFC 107, has been postponed. Rampage Jackson had received permission from Dana White and the UFC to reschedule this fight because of his movie role commitment. Jackson will be playing the role of "B.A.Baracus" in the movie "The A-Team". The movie is about a group of Iraq War veterans looking to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. The movie is scheduled to be released June 11, 2010.
Obviously, this is a great opportunity for Rampage and the UFC because it draws more exposure to them and I am sure the UFC will be promoting this movie during payperviews. I understand Rampage's desire to pursue other goals besides fighting, but this is the second fight he has passed on. Rampage had a chance to fight Lyoto Machida for the light-heavyweight belt, but passed on that to host TUF 10 opposite Rashad Evans. Now, he has passed on a fight with Evans to take on this movie role.
Most fighters would have jumped at the chance to take on Machida for the opportunity to win the light-heavyweight belt. All Rampage talked about was getting his belt back after he lost it to Forrest Griffin by decision. There were some people that believed Rampage was scared to fight Machida because of his awkard style. Rampage said he wanted to study Machida's style more and train hard for that fight and instead he chose to do TUF 10.
Rampage needs to realize he is not getting any younger and there are young and up and coming fighters that can give him a run for his money, ex. Evans. In my opinion, I think Rampage has gotten away from what has gotten him to the dance. He has become a one dimensional fighter now, just relying on his punching power to stop opponents. If he does not get back to his old style, Evans could be the one to issue that "Black on Black crime" on him with a victory.
Are MMA fighters ducking Ray Mercer? Let's be for real, Mercer in his prime was a dangerous boxer, but at 50 or so he is definitely no Couture. He was able to KO Tim Sylvia in about 10 seconds, but with Tim being over 300lbs and way out of any fighting shape, not a hard task to accomplish.
Place Mercer in the cage with a Couture, Mir, or Lesnar, and you have just signed the death certificate of a 50 year old boxer. There is no way Mercer can compete with MMA fighters who take the sport seriously and come well prepared to do battle. On that night, any fighter stepping into the cage with Sylvia should have been able to put him on his ass.
Nobody is afraid of fighting Mercer. There is just no point in fighting him. If you beat him, it does nothing to advance your career in MMA. By a lucky punch he catches you, losing to him will probably do more damage to your career, just ask Sylvia about that. Do everybody a favor Mercer and just appreciate the fights you do get in the smaller markets. Your boxing career has passed and MMA is to advanced for you to be competitive in.
