UFC’s Jackson taken seriously

A little more than a year ago, most gamblers knew little about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson when he entered the Octagon as a major underdog for his mixed martial arts fight against UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.

But after Jackson crushed Liddell to win the UFC light-heavyweight championship, many gamblers wished they did when a winning $100 Jackson bet paid out at $160 or more.

On Saturday, Jackson takes on a much different role for his fight against Forrest Griffin for UFC 86 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

At Sportsbook.com, Jackson is listed as a heavy favorite with -280 odds over Griffin (+210). At Bodoglife.com, Jackson is listed at -275 over Griffin (+215).

For Jackson (27-6-0), this will be only his second fight since he defeated Liddell in May 2007. He defeated PRIDE champion Dan Henderson in UFC 75 last September.

Griffin (15-4-0), the first winner of the “Ultimate Fighter” reality series, is coming off an impressive victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 76.

Tennis

The men’s semifinals are scheduled for today at Wimbledon with the world’s top two players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, listed as decided favorites to advance into Sunday’s final.

Federer is listed with -2000 odds to defeat Marat Safin (+800) in one semifinal, with Nadal listed at -5000 over Rainer Schuettler (+1200) in the other matchup, according to Bodoglife.com.

Federer is listed at 2-5 to defeat Safin in straight sets; 3-1 to win in four sets; 10-1 to win in five. Safin is listed at 50-1 to win in three sets; 25-1 to win in four and 14-1 to win in five.

Schuettler is listed at 50-1 to win in three sets; 33-1 to win in four; and 25-1 to win in five. Nadal is listed at 1-7 to win in three sets; 5-1 to win in four; and 16-1 to win in five.

Pro Football

Here is a proposition bet regarding Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, available at Bodoglife.com: What will Favre do for the NFL 2008 season? Stay retired (even); rejoin the Packers before the start of the season (3-2); rejoin Packers after the start of the season (4-1); play for another NFL team from Game 1 (6-1); or play for another NFL team after the start of the season (14-1).

--

lonnie.white@latimes.com