UFC boss confirms UFC 135 for Denver, Jones vs. Jackson expected to headline








VANCOUVER, British Columbia – UFC 135 is set for Sept. 24 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, and a light-heavyweight title fight between champ Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is expected to headline.

UFC president Dana White today confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following a pre-event press conference for UFC 131, which takes place June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

White said the headliner hinges on the health of Jones' hand, which needs to be cleared by a doctor.

"Doctors have got to say his hand is OK, and he's got to get in the gym and prove it," the executive said.

According to a representative for the champ, that proving ground is already set. Malki Kawa said today that Jones is seeing a hand specialist on Friday.

"His hand feels fine, so tomorrow it should be cleared," he said.

Jones this past week revealed that Jackson is his next opponent. He declined to provide a date, but said the bout would happen in September. With just two events scheduled for that month – one a "Fight Night" card on Spike TV and the other a pay-per-view event – it wasn't hard to read between the lines.

UFC 135 also features a welterweight bout between UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes and onetime lightweight contender Diego Sanchez. The UFC hasn't hosted an event in Denver since "UFC: Ultimate Ultimate 1995" (also known as UFC 7.5) back in 1995. The Colorado city also hosted UFC 1 and UFC 2 in 1993 and 1994, respectively. The Pepsi Center holds up to 21,000 people.

Jackson's readiness is apparently not a concern for the pay-per-view card. The former champ said he injured his left hand prior to a fight with Matt Hamill at UFC 130, and the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the May 30 bout, issued him a medical suspension that said he needed to get his hand cleared or otherwise face a six-month suspension.

White, however, said the holdup rests with Jones. The 23-year-old champion was expected to undergo surgery on a long-bothersome hand ligament, which scratched a potential fight with Evans at UFC 133. The promotion instead booked Evans to meet standout Phil Davis at the Aug. 6 event.

Soon afterward, Jones caught fans by surprise when he announced that his doctor ruled against surgery and that he expected to return to the cage in the fall. But officials said it was too late to scratch Evans' UFC 133 headliner with Davis.

Jones said this past Thursday that his hand is "totally fine" and will be good to go for a fight with Jackson.

With the doctor's OK, that statement will be proven true.



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