UFC 123 is headlined by a bout between light heavyweight stars Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida.

Both men are coming off big losses in their careers. Machida tasted defeat for the first time ever in his professional career in his last outing against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Rua absolutely melted Lyoto with a crushing blow to the temple, and then finished off The Dragon with a series of brutal punches on the ground. It was shocking to see Machida's first ever defeat come in such an emphatic way.

For his part, "Rampage" is coming off a decision loss to Rashad Evans in their grudge match at UFC 114. The bout ended up being all sizzle and very little steak, as pre-fight hype raised expectations. The fight itself, however, was excruciatingly boring. Rashad Evans employed a strategy of wrestling with Rampage, but could unleash meagre punishment once the fight was on the ground. The only moments of action in the fight came when Rampage dropped Rashad with a hook, then swarmed with punches. Unfortunately for Rampage (and fans), none of those punches connected. Rashad regained his composure, and held on for the decision win.

Talk heading into this fight has been centred around Rampage's training, and whether or not he is committed to this fight. Questions have surfaced regarding his motivation. The fighter has always been notorious for lacking the desire to train.

Machida is the smart bet to get the win here. An in-shape Rampage would have trouble with Machida, an out-of-shape Rampage is going to get steamrolled. Betting fans should expect a unanimous decision win here for The Dragon.