UFC 96 Results: UFC 96 Jackson vs Jardine Results, Recap & Review

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March 7th 2009, Columbus, OH:

Leading up to UFC 96, the fight card received harsh criticism for a perceived lack of star power and a “ho hum” main event. As a sold out crowd filtered out of Nationwide Arena following the event, the conversation was far from “ho hum.”

The bouts were very entertaining with a highlight reel full of incredible knockouts. The Columbus crowd was raucous from beginning to end; substantiating the annual UFC pilgrimage to central Ohio during the Arnold Sports Festival. The crowd grew to an even greater frenzy when Ohio’s own Matt Hamill made his way to the octagon to the tune of Hang On Sloopy, O-H-I-O filled the arena. Overall, the event surpassed expectations cementing itself into the annals as one of UFC’s greatest events. Click or scroll to the bottom of the page for all of the official UFC 96 fight results.

UFC 96 Fight Breakdown:

• Aaron Riley vs Shane Nelson - This fight was the only “black eye” of the night (no pun intended) as the referee in charge inexcusably stopped the fight without cause after Nelson landed a solid strike. In the end Nelson gets the victory.
• Brandon “The Truth” Vera vs Michael Patt - Vera cut down Patt with wicked leg strikes which eventually led to Patt being unable to continue. After the bout, Vera claimed he’s “back.” Only time will tell but a increase in the competition level may say otherwise.
• Tim Boetsch vs Jason Brilz - An intriguing matchup as both fighters had a lot to prove in their attempt to climb the ladder in the 205lb division. In the end, Brilz’ wrestling skills proved to be too much as he controlled the fight on the ground with an array of strikes. Brilz has flown somewhat under that radar but now is on a 10 fight winning streak and holds a record of 17-1-1 (2-0 UFC). Keep an eye on Brilz.
• Kendall Grove vs Jason Day - Grove used his extensive reach advantage to gain a victory over Jason Day. The referee quickly stopped the bout as Grove landed a wicked strike. Standing at 6’6” inches and fighting in the 185lb division, Grove will always have a reach advantage. He is incredibly talented but often seems to lose focus and rely more on his ridiculous antics (as does his role model Tito Ortiz).
• Tamdan “The Barn Cat” McCrory vs Ryan Madigan - McCrory entered the Octagon in a slow pace wearing glasses that resemble an accountant or a professor, not a cage fighter. Yet, once again McCrory proves he is an elite fighter by handing Madigan his first defeat. McCrory is now 11-2 (3-2 UFC). He is an entertaining, young (22 years old) fighter on his way to the top.
• Gray Maynard vs Jim Miller - With Randy Couture in his corner, Maynard improved his unblemished mark to 7-0 (5-0 UFC) with a victory via unanimous decision. Maynard isn’t the most glamorous or electrifying fighter but very effective. His last four victories are via UD.
• Matt “The Hammer” Hamill vs Mark Munoz - The bout was very entertaining with Hamill connecting on several strikes and avoiding Munoz’ take down attempts. In astonishing fashion, Hamill landed an incredible kick to Munoz’ head knocking him unconscious in the late stages of the 1 st round. The crowd noise was unexplainable as Hamill, following the bout, described his love for the state of Ohio and its fans.
• Matt Brown vs Pete Sell - WOW is the only way to describe Matt Brown in this fight. Sell, a known trash talker, didn’t get a chance to say anything in this bout as Brown landed kicks and punches knocking Sell to the ground early in the fight. There appeared to be a stoppage but referee Yves Lavigne signaled for both fighters to continue. Brown simply decked Sell and waited for Lavigne to stop the fight, incredibly he didn’t which resulted in Sell to absorb an unnecessary blow to end the fight. Regardless of Lavigne’s actions, Matt Brown continues his rise through the 170lb division. He gets better with every bout, improving all facets of his game.
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs Shane Carwin - A bout that was difficult to predict wasn’t so close once the bell rung. Gonzaga caught Carwin with some effective blows early which seemed to daze Carwin. Gonzaga then connected with a punch near the cage which resulted in an opening for Carwin, who landed a solid short right hand which sent Gabriel to the ground. The referee quickly stopped the fight as Gonzaga was motionless. Carwin is an incredible athlete with super human strength. Shane improved his record to 11-0 (3-0 UFC) staking his claim to a shot at the Heavyweight Title.
• UFC 96 MAIN EVENT: Rampage Jackson vs“The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine - Many pundits, including yours truly, predicted the fight wouldn’t make it out of the 1st round. It stands to reason with two heavy handed, aggressive fighters like Jackson and Jardine that the fireworks would be incredible but short lived. The opposite occurred, as Jackson earned a shot at regaining his title with a victory via unanimous decision. Jackson landed his patented left hook several times but Jardine withstood the onslaught, often retaliating with wicked strikes. In the 2 nd round, Jardine wobbled Jackson’s legs. It was a back and forth tilt that measured the heart and chin of both fighters. Joe Rogan interviewed Rampage in the Octagon after the victory; Rampage gave Jardine credit for his toughness and vowed to never call him Sardine again. Typical Rampage, sometimes hard to like but always witty. Rogan asked Jackson about getting his title back; he quickly yelled “I want my title back!” Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans entered the Octagon; a stare down ensued complete with verbal sparring. Rampage stated “there is going to be black on black violence”. Things seemed to calm and both fighters seemed more appreciative, Rampage then grabbed the microphone and yelled again “I want my title back,” slammed the mike to the ground and exited the Octagon.

An exciting event filled with incredible knockouts, ending with hype and trash talk as Rashad Evans vs. Rampage Jackson for the Light Heavyweight Title will be the main event at UFC 98 on May 23rd in Las Vegas!! It should be a classic. Other than some issues with the referees mentioned earlier, the only cloud on the event was the continuing saga of Official Scorer Cecil Peoples. Peoples scored the Jardine/Jackson bout 30-27 in favor of Jackon. Of course, Peoples was the only judge of the three to have Jackson winning all three rounds. Peoples is infamous for his ridiculous scoring in the Bisping/Hamill bout which drew criticism from UFC President Dana White. Mr. Peoples needs to do the MMA world a favor and just retire.

MMA fans, stay out of life’s Triangle Chokes!

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of MMA Content

Main UFC 96 Fight Results:

• Quinton Rampage Jackson defeats Keith Jardine by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

• Matt Hamill defeats Mark Munoz via KO (kick to head) - Round 1

• Shane Carwin defeats Gabriel Gonzaga via KO (punch) - Round 1

• Gray Maynard defeats Jim Miller via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Matt Brown defeats Pete Sell via KO - Round 1

Preliminary UFC 96 Fight Results:

• Kendall Grove defeated Jason Day via TKO (strikes) - Round 1

• Tamdan McCrory defeated Ryan Madigan via TKO (strikes) - Round 1

• Brandon Vera defeated Michael Patt via TKO (leg kicks) - Round 2

• Jason Brilz defeated Tim Boetsch by Unanimous Decision

• Shane Nelson defeated Aaron Riley via TKO (strikes) - Round 1

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