The last time Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fought in the UFC he came in overweight and delivered a lackluster performance, dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan Bader in the co-main event of UFC 144. Shortly after the fight Jackson took to twitter to announce that his next fight for the UFC would be the last on his contract and that after that fight he would move on from the organization.
That fight, will take place on January 26 on the UFC on Fox 6 card and if you think Jackson has softened his stance over the past ten months you would be dead wrong.
If anything Jackson’s resolve to move on has seemingly grown stronger as he has added a new addition to the list of grievances he has with his employer, “I’m sponsored by Reebok now and the UFC says I’m not allowed to wear Reebok in the cage. When I see other fighters sponsored by Nike and stuff, why can’t I wear Reebok, just stupid stuff like that.”
Jackson made it clear that money was not the root of his problems with the UFC, “It’s not just about money; it’s about respect. When I step into the Octagon I put my life on the line and I try and be an exciting fighter, I just don’t feel appreciated. I’d rather take a money cut and go to another show and feel appreciated. It has nothing to do with money.”
For those hoping that Jackson and UFC president Dana White can resolve their issues and play nice, Jackson doesn’t seem all that interested in continuing the relationship, “They offered to renegotiate, but I didn’t like it, I didn’t want it. I think the UFC doesn’t know how to treat their athletes. I feel like we’re just not taking care of well enough. I feel like they’re getting rich off all of us. Some of these guys can’t even afford to pay sparing partners. Some guys fight for $10,000 or $20,000, that ain’t right. I want to go somewhere where they take care of their fighters and treat us like human beings.”
It should be noted that Jackson’s last fight, the one where he came in overweight and put on a less than memorable performance earned him $200,00 and that was after $50,000 came off the top for missing weight.
While Jackson spent most of Tuesday’s media call speaking about his upcoming free agency, he did have a few choice words for the man he is set to face on January 26, Glover Teixeira and if the words seemed familiar it is because we have heard Jackson offer similar takes on his previous opponents, “He’s a guy that says he wants to try and knock me out and stand with me while he’s concentrating on mostly taking me down and fighting me on the ground, just like the other guys I fought.”
Jackson has never been a fan of ground fighting, even though he does come from a wrestling background and he feels he is onto Teixeira’s plan for the Fox card, “They try and get me to focus somewhere else so they can concentrate on a false game plan and have me training on other areas, but I’m smarter than that now. I’ve pretty much found out through snitches on the internet that he’s basically just going to try and wrestle me. I kind of lost respect for him, I used to respect him a lot as a fighter, but I’m looking forward to a good fight.”
As for what January 27 and beyond hold for Jackson, he’s trying to stay positive and move forward, “No matter what the outcome on January 26 I am going to be happy, because I’ve trained very hard, I’ve trained to destroy Glover and I plan on leaving the UFC on a positive note and go on with my life and let the UFC be my past.”
**all quotes obtained first hand by BR MMA
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