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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will fight Forrest Griffin for the UFC light heavyweight belt. (AP Images)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially announced that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (29-6) will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Forrest Griffin (15-4).

The match will headline UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin, scheduled for July 5 at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nev.

Odds are already up in the Bodog Sportsbook, with "Rampage" as a -260 favorite and Griffin a +200 underdog.

Griffin earned a shot at the title by defeating Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-3) at UFC 76: Knockout in September.

Since taking the belt from Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (21-5-0)in May of 2007, Rampage has fought only once, beating Dan Henderson (22-7-0) at UFC 75: Champion vs. Champion in September.

"I think this fight with Forrest will be a great fight, we both like to please the crowd and we both have the same agenda, we both want to win this fight," he says. "It's my job to stay the champion. I've come too far to back down now, so I'm going to have to drag Forrest through the woods."

"I'm really excited to be fighting for the title," Griffin explains. "If I win, I get to walk out to the Octagon second. I hate walking out first. I think I'm ready for this fight, I've been watching Rocky a lot. He's really good at taking a beating. And Rampage always shows up ready for a fight, in his last fight he went 25 minutes with one of the toughest guys in the business, so I know he will be ready, too."

Bet on UFC odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

All lines subject to change.