Keith Jardine vs. Aaron Lofton

“The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine(16-9-1) will once again fight on to the independent scene, as he faces Aaron Lofton(8-4) on March 4th according to Sherdog.

Jardine’s first fight out of the UFC since 2004 did not go as planned. Though he won his fight over Francisco France, he left without being paid and was accused of greasing by his opponent, something heard way too often out of the Greg Jackson camp(Georges St.Pierre, Nate Marquardt).

Jardine(ranked #26 LHW) is still picking up the pieces of his career, following a 1-6 record over the last 3 years of action. Jardine faced stiff competition over that time, and despite losing, gave Quinton Jackson, Ryan Bader, and Matt Hamill all they could handle. Jardine’s chin and lack of knockout power have made it difficult to capitalize on his wins over Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell that shot him up the ranks. With his large salary and struggling record, the UFC was forced to part ways with the popular TUF 2 star.

Jardine’s opponent, Aaron Lofton is not a walkover by any means, but his striking leaves a lot to be desired. He does have KO power, which is a Jardine’s weakness, but Jardine should be able to outclass Lofton on the feet and test his guard if it goes to the ground.