Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs Forrest Griffin Officially Signed for UFC 86

The UFC announced on Thursday that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will be defending his light heavyweight championship against Forrest Griffin at UFC 86: Jackson vs Griffin. The fight is scheduled to take place on July 5th at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas.

The two fighters recently completed a stint on The Ultimate Fighter 7 where they acted as coached, and will now begin the grueling preparations for their fight in the summer.

There are several other rumored fights that may or may not take place at this event. They include:

Justin Buchholz vs Corey Hill
Josh Koscheck vs Chris Lytle
Joe Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau
Frank Mir vs Justin McCully

Bodoglife currently has odds posted for the Jackson - Griffin fight. Here are the current odds, plus our quick analysis of the fight:

Quinton Jackson (-260) vs Forrest Griffin (+200)

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson continues to impress during his time in the UFC. He is currently 3-0 in the promotion, having defeated Marvin Eastman at UFC 67 - All or Nothing, Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 - Liddell vs Jackson, and Dan Henderson at UFC 75 - Champion vs Champion. Jackson captured the light heavyweight title from Chuck Liddell at UFC 71, stunning many by knocking out Liddell in the first round. Liddell blames his loss on "distractions" and a lack of preparation.

Jackson combined a formidable mixture of wrestling ability and striking power. He has notched 14 knockouts in his career and 7 submission victories. Jackson can beat you on the ground or standing up, which is why makes him such a tough opponent. He currently has a lifetime record of 29-6-0.

Forrest Griffin currently sports a record of 15-4-0, with seven of his victories coming via submissions.

Griffin made his UFC debut in season one of the Ultimate Fighter Finale when he defeated Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision. He has two losses since joining the promotion (Tito Ortiz and Keith Jardine) and six victories. He most recently scored an impressive submission victory against Mauricio Rua at UFC 76. This victory earned him a title shot against Jackson at UFC 86.

Jackson is the big favorite in this fight due to his punching power and wrestling ability. Griffin will surely have his hands full in this fight, but don't count him out due to his tremendous heart.