Jackson hand injury could open door for Machida or Evans

LAS VEGAS – A hand that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson injured even before Saturday's UFC 130 main-event victory over Matt Hamill could cost him a title shot.

With a victory, Jackson (32-8 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was expected to get the first shot at recently crowned light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC).

But depending on the severity of Jackson's injury, the door could open for Lyoto Machida (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) – or even Rashad Evans (15-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) – for the first shot at Jones.

In a post-event press conference for UFC 130, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Jackson admitted to suffering a "fractured hand" prior to the pay-per-view bout. Ultimately, Jackson, defeated Hamill in dominant (though far from flashy) style.

If he's healthy enough to fight by fall, the title shot is Jackson's. If not, recent UFC 129 winner Lyoto Machida – or even rival and ex-teammate Rashad Evans, who would have to get by Phil Davis in August at UFC 133 – instead could get the slot.

"If Rampage can't go, we'd either have to do Machida – because Machida is ready to go – or have [Jones] wait for Rashad because Rashad wants to (fight him)," White said. "Rashad is 100 percent confident he's going to win this fight and wants to turn right around and fight Jones too. We'll see what happens."

It all underscores the glut of talent that's accumulating near the top of the division, which has been ruled by fighters such as Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Evans, Machida, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and now Jones just in the past four years. None of the fighters made more than one title defense, and more than half didn't make any.

Evans, of course, was lined up for a fight with Jones before the eventual UFC 133 booking with Davis. After waiting nearly a year for his title shot while then-champ Rua recovered from a knee injury, Evans ultimately suffered an injury of his own and surrendered the title fight to Jones, who easily defeated Rua back in March. Afterward, the former teammates' friendship fell apart in a public spat, and their fight was booked.

Then, things got complicated. Jones expected to undergo surgery on a long-bothersome hand ligament, which prompted UFC officials to book Evans vs. Davis. But soon after that booking, Jones announced 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.

And though Jackson, who injured the hand in December while "horsing around" with friends, assured he'd be ready for the Jones fight, White said the fighter will undergo tests this coming week. They'll determine the extent of his injury and his availability for the title fight.

"We'll see how it goes," White said.