Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Jackson faces powerful wrestler Hamill instead of Silva
Thiago Silva has been pulled from his UFC 130 bout with Rampage Jackson for undisclosed reasons, and fellow light heavyweight Matt Hamill has been contacted to take his place.
Sources close to the fight informed Heavy.com of the potential change on Friday afternoon. Verbal agreements are in place for the bout.
Silva’s drug test from UFC 125 was undergoing a second analysis on Thursday afternoon, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission hasn’t revealed any details on the nature of the test result. It would appear, at least judging by the fight change, that the UFC is under the impression that Silva will not be available to face Jackson.
Rashad Evans had been mentioned as a replacement for Silva, but one source told Heavy that Evans was never seriously considered for the fight and that he’ll wait to see who wins between Jon Jones and Shogun Rua before deciding his next move.
Hamill was scheduled to face Phil Davis at UFC 129 in April. The Hamill/Davis fight was pulled from the UFC website on Thursday night.
The Jackson/Hamill fight is expected to be a highlighted part of the stacked UFC 130 card, which includes the third bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
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Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill In The Works For UFC 130