Call it a case of mistaken identity, but Quinton Jackson believes Jon Jones and his camp are responsible for spying on his training while in preparation for UFC 135. The two competitors have gone back-and-forth at each other for a few weeks, but J…
Call it a case of mistaken identity, but Quinton Jackson believes Jon Jones and his camp are responsible for spying on his training while in preparation for UFC 135.
The two competitors have gone back-and-forth at each other for a few weeks, but Jackson’s alleged comments regarding Jones might have just lit the fuse to a more personal level.
Jackson discussed the situation in further detail with Yahoo Sports, and said he had the same problem with Jones’ camp when he fought Rashad Evans at UFC 114.
“I’m on Twitter, I’m talking to my fans and one guy just mentions that I have a spy in camp,” Jackson said.
“One day I did a certain technique, I was working on some stuff, working on elbows, and Jon Jones tweeted that same day ‘Oh I haven’t worked on elbows this whole time in camp, I better get on that’.”
Whether this story is just a coincidence, or plain weird, is anybody’s guess. With his lack of motivation as of late, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jackson motivate himself over false accusations to help himself remain focused.
Regardless of how credible the facts are, the story sets up some interesting dialogue from Jackson and will help promote the fight scheduled for September 24th.
No matter the outcome at UFC 135, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Jon “Bones” Jones will provide MMA fans with the fight of the year.The fight offers everything that a mega fight needs. Fans have reasons to like/dislike both Rampage and Jones, the fight …
No matter the outcome at UFC 135, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Jon “Bones” Jones will provide MMA fans with the fight of the year.
The fight offers everything that a mega fight needs. Fans have reasons to like/dislike both Rampage and Jones, the fight showcases two of the most exciting 205lb fighters in the world and just in case that’s not enough to for you to tune in, the fight is also for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
The reason this fight will be the best of the year is very simple; hype. The anticipation of Rampage and Jones being in the cage at the same time is enough to sell the event. Once you add the personalities of both men, fans will have to make the choice of what fighter to cheer against, which means interest in the outcome will rise.
The history of both men offers two separate paths to this title fight that have gained and lost them fans along the way.
Let’s start with the challenger. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has proven to be one of the most exciting fighters in the light heavyweight division for quite some time. Making his mark in Japan for Pride, Rampage burst into UFC stardom by flooring Chuck Liddell at UFC 71.
Although known to the knowledgeable fans of MMA, Rampage became a star overnight to the casual fans. His affinity for howling before his bouts—as well as looking to take his opponents’ heads off—made him a fan favorite.
Rampage’s popularity not only comes from his performance in the octagon but also from outside. He has a personality that seems to draw people to him (both for and against him). He says what he wants and gives people a reason to tune in. His promos for his fight against Rashad Evans in particular were both funny and scary.
He may be an exciting fighter, but getting Rampage to the finish line continues to be a major problem for the former champ. He has openly admitted to fighting for the desire to make money and the lure of Hollywood has made some fans question his desire to keep fighting.
Standing across from Rampage at UFC 135 will be a fighter who offers just as much excitement.
Being hailed as the future of MMA, Jon “Bones” Jones looks to continue his path of destruction through the UFC light heavyweight division. Jones has looked increasingly more impressive from each fight to the next.
His first breakthrough performance was against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. Executing some highlight real throws and trips along with absolutely devastating striking combos, Jones became a popular attraction for the UFC.
Even his only “loss” is considered a victory. Jones was DQ’d for using illegal elbow strikes against Matt Hamill, but was dominating the fight in every fashion up to that point. Jones’ biggest victory came against another stand out from Pride.
At UFC 128, Jon Jones squared off against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Fans of Rua were clamoring across the Internet about how the Brazilian Muay Thai expert would destroy Jones’ chicken legs. In what can only be described as a bad dream for Rua fans, Jones dominated and controlled Shogun, en route to winning the UFC Light Heavyweight belt.
Following the destruction of Rua, Jones was set to face off against former teammate Rashad Evans. Jones was forced to withdraw with a hand injury and the fight fell through.
After Evans had found a replacement, Jones’ management released a statement saying his (Jones) hand did not require surgery and that Jones was looking for a fight before the end of the year. Jones’ standing with fans fell drastically, as it looked as if Jones was ducking Evans. Jones’ comments made before and after his bout with Rua also caused criticism from the MMA landscape.
Before his title fight, Jones had begun signing autographs “Jon Jones: Champion 2011” and many fans grew tired of his arrogance. His holier than thou persona also did not do him many favors within the MMA community.
Fight fans were left wanting more following Rampage’s contest against rival Rashad Evans at UFC 114. This fight has the potential to provide the excitement that Rampage-Evans was supposed to bring. Jones has never been known to “lay ‘n pray” like Rashad Evans, and Rampage is always one strike away from ending the fight.
From the second the bell rings, fans will be on the edge of their seats, anticipating a thunderous punch from Rampage or a devastating elbow from Jones. In advertising the adage is “sex sells.” In the fight game, “hype sells” and Rampage vs. Jones offers the most hyped fight of 2011.
UFC 135 is on the horizon and the tension and trash talk that started between Jon “Bones” Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson during the mid-July press conference for the fight card is quickly ratcheting up.Jones will make his f…
UFC 135 is on the horizon and the tension and trash talk that started between Jon “Bones” Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson during the mid-July press conference for the fight card is quickly ratcheting up.
Jones will make his first defense of the UFC light heavyweight title on September 24, when he meets Jackson, the former champion, inside the Octagon at Denver’s Pepsi Center.
When the two step in, to face each other all the trash talk, all the tweets, all the accusations of just being in it for the money, the jibes to grow up, will be in the past and what will be on the line is Jones’ title. The title that Jones captured in March by dominating Mauricio Rau, the title he will be defending for the first time. The same title that was once held by Rampage, the title that he has repeatedly, referred to as “his,” the title he so desperately wants to regain.
Expect, more words to be exchanged as the fight nears, expect a grudge match in Denver.
Source: MMA Weekly Damacio Page was disappointed to pull out of his UFC 135 bout against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto due to a neck injury incurred in training. But he is thankful for his UFC medical.
Damacio Page was disappointed to pull out of his UFC 135 bout against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto due to a neck injury incurred in training. But he is thankful for his UFC medical insurance provided to the promotion’s stable of fighters, earlier this year. Page’s manager, Jahani Curl says that surgery is necessary for the injury and that without insurance it would have cost the fighter somewhere between $25 to 30 thousand dollars. Page’s recovery time is currently unknown.
To follow his rehab and recovery, check in with MMA Weekly as Damacio Page will be giving bi-weekly blogs on the site.
On the most recent episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani was joined by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who will be fighting Jon Jones at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage.Just after mentioning that he’s “having a great camp and training really hard”, Rampage disc…
On the most recent episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani was joined by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who will be fighting Jon Jones at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage.
Just after mentioning that he’s “having a great camp and training really hard”, Rampage discussed his recent accusations of Jon Jones planting a mole within Team Wolfslair. Rampage mentioned that he hasn’t removed anyone from his camp, but that he “feels flattered” that Jon Jones had to employ the use of spies.
Still, Rampage hasn’t concerned himself very much with these recent developments and “feels very confident” in this fight, despite “a lot of people counting [him] out.”
Jackson explained that he was informed of a spy via Twitter. After that point, he faked an injury to his hand in order to see if the news would leak. According to Rampage, shortly after, he was contacted by Joe Silva who had been contacted by Jon Jones’ management, asking about his hand.
It’s impossible to know if any of this information is reliable, but Jackson promises to out the spy on Twitter when he determines who it is.
Then, Rampage was his usual controversial self, calling host Ariel Helwani “an asshole for asking about [Wolfslair teammate] Cheick Kongo.” Apparently, Rampage was offended that Helwani asked if the Pat Barry fight should have been stopped after Kongo was repeatedly knocked down.
Helwani and Jackson moved on, agreeing to play nice as long as Rampage refrained from calling the journalist “big nose” and Helwani made sure his shoes matched his tie.
Needless to say, it was a typical Rampage interview. Jackson ended by mentioning that he’s happy to go into this fight the underdog and that he captured the belt from Chuck Liddell as an underdog and is prepared to do it again.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsJust days after accusing his future foe’s camp of spying on him in his UFC 135 training sessions, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson told MMA Fighting on Thursday that he is unconcerned by the possible presence of a…
Just days after accusing his future foe’s camp of spying on him in his UFC 135 training sessions, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson told MMA Fighting on Thursday that he is unconcerned by the possible presence of a mole, and that he has yet to remove anyone from his camp.
Appearing on The MMA Hour from his camp in Denver, Jackson detailed the circumstances that led him to question if he had a traitor in his midst relaying secrets to UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones‘ camp. Jackson said he had a similar feeling in 2010 when he prepared for his bout with Rashad Evans, but had no problems while preparing for recent bouts with Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill.
Jackson said that in recent days, at least one comment made by Jones on Twitter reflected the goings-on in his camp. As a result, Jackson decided to put his team to the test, faking a hand injury at the end of a sparring session.
Within four hours, he says that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva had called his manager Anthony McGann, to ask about his hand. Jackson said that Silva told him Jones’ manager Malki Kawa had raised concern about the hand, saying he had read about it on Twitter.
Jackson, though, says that his team searched Twitter and couldn’t find a single mention of a hand injury. In fact, he says they searched the entire web and couldn’t find any information about a potential hand injury in this specific camp.
Despite his ongoing belief that someone fed the information to Jones’ camp, Jackson has not made any changes to his training team.
“I have a few ideas who the mole is,” he said. “There’s a bunch of people it can be. I don’t want to point fingers. I’m not saying who it was. But whoever it is, I hope they believe in karma.”
Jackson said he wasn’t accusing of Jones or his camp of intentionally sending a spy into his camp, but that it seemed clear someone was sending them information nonetheless. Jones and Kawa have denied any allegations of wrongdoing, though both declined invitations to appear on The MMA Hour to give their sides of the story.
Given the high-profile nature of the fight, the “Spygate” issue isn’t likely to subside anytime soon, even though Jackson seems ready to turn the page, even saying he was “kind of flattered” that such lengths are being taken.
“At the end of the day, I don’t care,” he said. “I’m very confident in this fight. You guys have no idea. A lot of people have counted me out in this fight, and I love it. I’m happy. It’s like when I fought Chuck Liddell to get the title. No one counted me in. I’m OK with it. Jon Jones can set up camp and watch me train, for all I care because he won’t be able to stop what I’m going to do to him.”
While Jackson’s camp is private, he has brought in a group of fighters to help him prepare, and he believes it’s possible one of them could have ties to Jones’ team. He said when each sparring partner arrives, he asks them not to release any information about the camp in any way, including social media platforms, a requirement he said he feels he has the right to ask since he is paying them.
As for the fight itself, Jackson says all the pressure is on Jones as the new champion to defend his belt and continue his forward momentum while in the spotlight. He also says he won’t be frozen by fear of failure, an issue that sometimes gets the best of even the world’s top athletes. He also said that even if Jones comes hard at him, he’s shown he can stand up to some punishment before returning fire. Whether there’s an infiltrator in his camp or it’s mole-free, Jackson said on September 24, he’ll be ready.
“I don’t care about this spy in my camp,” he said. “He, she or it can keep watching me, whoever it is. I’m training hard. I’m very confident. It ain’t no secret that I’m going to try to throw these hands on Jon Jones. I’m pretty sure one, two, or three of my punches are going to land. I’m going to make them count every time they do. I’m just training my ass off for anything.”
Call it a case of mistaken identity, but Quinton Jackson believes Jon Jones and his camp are responsible for spying on his training while in preparation for UFC 135. 
Just days after accusing his future foe’s camp of spying on him in his