Filed under: UFCQuinton “Rampage” Jackson did indeed turn down a chance to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 128, Jackson confirmed via his Twitter earlier today, but it’s the reason he turned it down that gives us …
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did indeed turn down a chance to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 128, Jackson confirmed via his Twitter earlier today, but it’s the reason he turned it down that gives us an insight into the current state of his MMA career.
“I turned down the fight cause of short notice,I would have 2 lose 45 lbs n 4 weeks,u would have 2 be a fighter 2 understand,life goes on,” Jackson tweeted on Tuesday.
Of course, after he turned down the chance to step in for the injured Rashad Evans, the UFC offered it to Evans’ teammate, Jon Jones, who was only too happy to seize the opportunity. So what does that tell us, aside from the fact that Jackson is walking around closer to the heavyweight limit than the light heavyweight one?
In all the excitement over Jon “Bones” Jones getting the title-shot since his fellow Jackson’s Submission Fighting teammate, Rashad Evans has pulled out of UFC 128 due to a blown knee, we didn’t think that maybe someone else turned the offer down. Well, Light Heavyweight Champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua says Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did […]
In all the excitement over Jon “Bones” Jones getting the title-shot since his fellow Jackson’s Submission Fighting teammate, Rashad Evans has pulled out of UFC 128 due to a blown knee, we didn’t think that maybe someone else turned the offer down. Well, Light Heavyweight Champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua says Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did just that. Rua told Tatame:
“The UFC thought in other alternatives, but it didn’t worked out. For some reason [Quinton Jackson] didn’t accept [a fight with me], I’ll have to change my training because (Jones is) a lot different from Rashad, much taller, and it’ll be a great challenge. He’s been surprising everybody in the UFC, defeated everybody with easy, and it’ll be a tough fight for me.”
Jon Jones was very confident with taking the fight on six weeks notice at the UFC 126 Post Fight Press Conference. He foremost thanked God for the opportunity and said:
“I usually spend my camp getting in shape, but I’m already in shape, [Greg Jackson] wants me to calm down. He said he can’t have me peak for six more weeks. But I’m not taking time off. Maybe physically I’ll take some time off, but I have a lot of studying to do. Six weeks is more than enough time, especially since I already have a six pack.”
Meanwhile Rampage Jackson, who defeated Lyoto Machida via Split Decision last November plans to return to the cage at UFC 130 against Thiago Silva at the end of May.
("I trust this dude so much, I’d let him be my chauffeur if he needed a job. We could make it into a reality show and call it ‘Driving Mr. Dana.’")
Dana White helmed a Q&A session at Fort Hood last week ahead of the Fight for the Troops I…
("I trust this dude so much, I’d let him be my chauffeur if he needed a job. We could make it into a reality show and call it ‘Driving Mr. Dana.’")
Dana White helmed a Q&A session at Fort Hood last week ahead of the Fight for the Troops II show Saturday night and the UFC president dropped a handful of interesting tidbits during the hour-long forum.
Perhaps most noteworthy was White’s proclamation that former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will likely get the next crack at the winner of the UFC 128 championship bout between current champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rashad Evans. White pointed to Jackson’s win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123 — a fight many thought should have gone to "The Dragon" — as being the main factor in his title consideration. He also hinted that the winner of next month’s UFC 127 tilt between Ryan Bader and Jon Jones will likely get dibs on the winner of Jackson versus Evans or Rua.
"There are so many guys at 205. Rampage is probably next in line. Rampage is still in the mix. We’ve got Jon Jones and Ryan Bader fighting on the fifth [of February], which is going to be a great fight and catapults one of those guys to the top five.There’s so many great guys in the 205-pound division," White said. "The big problem has been ‘Shogun’s’ injury has been clogging up the division. Now he’s healthy and going to fight, and we’ll get everything rolling. [Shogun’s] recovered now and back in training."
Surprisingly, White said that Machida, who just as easily could be sitting in Rampage’s place in line had the judges given him the split decision nod over Jackson, needs to win his upcoming UFC 129 bout in Toronto with Randy Couture, stopping short of saying that he could be on the chopping block if he loses.
"I didn’t think [Lyoto] was ever going to lose," White admitted. "Shogun beat him, and then he just lost to Rampage, too," he explained. "Now he’s fighting Randy Couture. It’s a must-win for him."
White also touched on several other topics, rumors and bout signings. Check the most pertinent ones out after the jump.
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveIf you walked up to a 175-pound fighter with no pro bouts to his credit and asked him if he wanted to fight 205-pound Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for a hundred bucks on a week’s notice, chances are he’d look at you lik…
If you walked up to a 175-pound fighter with no pro bouts to his credit and asked him if he wanted to fight 205-pound Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for a hundred bucks on a week’s notice, chances are he’d look at you like you’d just declared yourself to be the rightful king of England.
That’s today. That’s the state of the fight game in 2010. But back in Memphis, Tenn. in 1999, that exact same proposal didn’t seem so bad when it was put to Mike Pyle.
“I was set to fight someone in my weight class,” Pyle remembers. “I was 175 pounds soaking wet, with my gi on. My opponent had gotten hurt at a jiu-jitsu tournament a week before. Why the hell he was doing a jiu-jitsu tournament a week before, I don’t know, but the promoter…called me and said, ‘Hey, there’s a problem. Your boy got hurt, so how about Rampage?’ I was like, okay, let’s do it. That was all it took.”
Filed under: UFCIf nothing else, you have to respect “Rampage” Jackson’s honesty at UFC 123. He thought he took something resembling a butt-whoopin’ from Lyoto Machida, at least in the final round, and he had no problem saying so.
If nothing else, you have to respect “Rampage” Jackson’s honesty at UFC 123. He thought he took something resembling a butt-whoopin’ from Lyoto Machida, at least in the final round, and he had no problem saying so.
That’s refreshing, I have to admit. The suggestion that the two should have an immediate rematch? That just makes my head hurt.
The fight was interesting, in a way, though not exactly thrilling. Seeing them do it again wouldn’t help pay-per-view sales or the crowded light heavyweight division, which is probably why UFC president Dana White mercifully intervened with other ideas. It just goes to show that sometimes it’s a good thing to have an opinionated guy at the top with veto power and the will to use it. Sometimes.
Now on to the winners, losers, and everything else in between after UFC 123.
Filed under: UFCIn at least one way, UFC 123 is already a disappointment. To me, anyway.
I would have thought that when you put Lyoto Machida – a fighter known for drinking his own urine – together with “Rampage” Jackson – a fighter known for his pla…
In at least one way, UFC 123 is already a disappointment. To me, anyway.
I would have thought that when you put Lyoto Machida – a fighter known for drinking his own urine – together with “Rampage” Jackson – a fighter known for his played out bad breath jokes – we would have had comedy gold by now. I would have thought the combination of necessity and opportunity would help break some new ground in the field of bad breath jokes. Sort of like the polio vaccine, only much, much less helpful to society.
No such luck so far. Guess that means we’ll have to put our hopes in the fights themselves to entertain us. Let’s start with a look at how oddsmakers think Saturday night’s event will play out, along with some suggestions on where they might be wrong.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did indeed turn down a chance to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 128, Jackson confirmed via his Twitter earlier today, but it’s the reason he turned it down that gives us an insight into the current state of his MMA career.
If you walked up to a 175-pound fighter with no pro bouts to his credit and asked him if he wanted to fight 205-pound 
If nothing else, you have to respect “Rampage” Jackson’s honesty at 
In at least one way,