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A UFC 114 main-event fight between Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, whose long-brewing rivalry came to a head while they coached opposing teams on "The Ultimate Fighter 10," will be the focus of the next "UFC Primetime" special.
Spike TV officials today confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the three-part series debuts May 12 at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
New episodes air May 19 and May 26, both at 11 p.m. ET/PT, following "TUF 11" episodes.
Spike TV soon will announce replay dates for each episode.
For "UFC Primetime: Rampage vs. Evans," cameras will follow Evans as he prepares for the fight at Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico and Jackson as he works with the Wolfslair Academy in England.
The three-part series, which is being produced by the UFC, builds up to UFC 114, which takes place May 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event coincides with UFC Fan Expo 2010 during Memorial Day weekend.
Although billed primarily as a grudge match between two rivals, the fight actually has some pretty serious light-heavyweight title implications. Both fighters are former champs and realistically could be fighting for No. 1 contender's status at UFC 114.
Evans (14-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) returns to the cage for the first time since January, when he headlined an injury-riddled UFC 108 card and topped Thiago Silva via unanimous decision. Prior to the win, Evans suffered his first career loss and lost his belt to Lyoto Machida. The knockout loss came after an impressive stretch in which Evans topped Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell and then-champ Forrest Griffin.
Jackson (30-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC), meanwhile, returns to the cage after what will be a 15-month layoff. Jackson has been out of action for the "TUF 10" filming and then a subsequent clash with UFC management and a movie role in the soon-to-be-released movie, "The A-Team," in which he plays B.A. "Bad Attitude" Baracus. Prior to the layoff, Jackson had rebounded from his title loss to Griffin with wins over Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine and now looks for his third straight victory.
