Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made a name for himself fighting in Japan, and he will finally get to return when he faces The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader at UFC 144.The event, which is headlined by a lightweight …
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made a name for himself fighting in Japan, and he will finally get to return when he faces The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader at UFC 144.
The event, which is headlined by a lightweight title bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson, will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Some of Jackson’s most memorable fights came out of Pride, a mixed martial arts organization based in Tokyo, including those with Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
According to statements from Monday’s UFC 144 pre-fight press conference (by Daniel Herbertson), the Japanese fans are Jackson’s “favorite.” Transcript by MMAmania.com.
Back when I was fighting here, I had so much energy. I just wanted to put on a good show for the fans because all the energy they give. In America, you’re under so much pressure to win at all costs because the fans talk shit to you if you lose even if it’s a good, exciting fight. In Japan, it’s just a different energy.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll take more chances and not care because it’s all about the crowd. I react to the crowd. I don’t care about the people watching on TV…
In Japan, I used to slam a lot and put on more of a show because the energy from the fans gave me power and I don’t feel the same energy in the US. So, I can’t honestly say I improved or evolved in a good way since leaving Japan. I’m all about putting on an exciting fight in Japan.
One thing I love about Japanese fans and why I love them the most is that they don’t care if you win or lose. All they care is if you have samurai spirit, that you put on a good fight. That’s why Japanese fans are my favorite. And American fans are jealous that I say that all the time.
In a matchup of lightweights in dire need of a victory, Takanori Gomi and George Sotiropoulos will meet at UFC 144, which goes down in Saitama, Japan on February 26, 2012.The homecoming bout for Gomi will be one that he enters having gone 3-5 in his la…
In a matchup of lightweights in dire need of a victory, Takanori Gomi and George Sotiropoulos will meet at UFC 144, which goes down in Saitama, Japan on February 26, 2012.
The homecoming bout for Gomi will be one that he enters having gone 3-5 in his last eight. He is currently riding a two-fight losing streak, with losses against Clay Guida and Nate Diaz. His only UFC victory came against Tyson Griffin.
Sotiropoulos is also riding a two-fight losing streak, with losses against Dennis Siver and Rafael Dos Anjos. He was knocked out by Dos Anjos in just 59 seconds.
The fight will be part of the preliminary card for the event, which will feature a main event between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson.
Other main card bouts include Ryan Bader vs. Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt and Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon.
While it might have taken a while, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has finally landed a spot on the main card at UFC 144. Jackson was originally left off of the event, leaving the former UFC light heavyweight champion feeling upset with the UFC. But, du…
While it might have taken a while, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has finally landed a spot on the main card at UFC 144.
Jackson was originally left off of the event, leaving the former UFC light heavyweight champion feeling upset with the UFC. But, due to his drawing power and popularity, Jackson was ultimately offered a chance to compete.
Jackson has remained a favorite with the Japanese fans since competing in PRIDE FC from 2001-2006. It was there where he established himself as one the promotion’s top stars, facing some of the world’s best fighters in Chuck Liddell, Ricardo Arona, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Wanderlei Silva.
Jackson’s tirade might have forced the UFC to react and meet his demands, but he believes the UFC isn’t happy with his approach.
“I had to fight and complain and b—- to my manager,” Jackson told Japanese media during a UFC 144 press conference earlier this week. “Now I think the representatives of UFC are upset with me a little bit, but ask me, do I care?”
Jackson will meet Ryan Bader in the co-main event, which will surely be one of the most anticipated bouts on the card due to Jackson’s presence and reputation with the Japanese crowd. “Rampage” has always had a passion for the Japanese culture and said he prefers competing in Japan opposed to the United States.
Jackson fell short in his title bout to Jon Jones at UFC 135, suffering just his third loss in the UFC, but he hopes to rebound with a win over Bader. Perhaps more importantly, he wants to put on an entertaining bout.
“I’m all about putting on an exciting fight in Japan,” he said. “One thing I love about Japanese fans, and why I love them the most, is that they don’t care if you win or lose. All they care is if you have samurai spirit, that you put on a good fight. That’s why Japanese fans are my favorite.”
Takanori Gomi‘s run in the UFC has resulted in an underwhelming 1-3 record, marked by submission losses to Kenny Florian, Clay Guida, and Nate Diaz. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the UFC is giving the Fireball Kid one more try in front of his home country’s fans — or at least the ones who will be dragging ass to the Saitama Super Arena early enough to catch the prelims.
The UFC has confirmed that Gomi will return at UFC 144 on February 26th, against Aussie grappling specialist George Sotiropoulos, who’s also had a rough go of it lately. After going 7-0 in the Octagon following his stint on TUF 6, Sotiropoulos is now riding back-to-back losses against Dennis Siver and Rafael Dos Anjos. In other words, jobs could be on the line here.
Gomi vs. GSots brings the UFC 144 card up to 12 star-studded fights, including the lightweight title headliner between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson, and bouts featuring Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Jake Shields, Joe Lauzon, and Yushin Okami. Check out the current lineup after the jump, before injuries blow it all to hell.
Takanori Gomi‘s run in the UFC has resulted in an underwhelming 1-3 record, marked by submission losses to Kenny Florian, Clay Guida, and Nate Diaz. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the UFC is giving the Fireball Kid one more try in front of his home country’s fans — or at least the ones who will be dragging ass to the Saitama Super Arena early enough to catch the prelims.
The UFC has confirmed that Gomi will return at UFC 144 on February 26th, against Aussie grappling specialist George Sotiropoulos, who’s also had a rough go of it lately. After going 7-0 in the Octagon following his stint on TUF 6, Sotiropoulos is now riding back-to-back losses against Dennis Siver and Rafael Dos Anjos. In other words, jobs could be on the line here.
Gomi vs. GSots brings the UFC 144 card up to 12 star-studded fights, including the lightweight title headliner between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson, and bouts featuring Quinton Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Jake Shields, Joe Lauzon, and Yushin Okami. Check out the current lineup after the jump, before injuries blow it all to hell.
PRELIMINARY CARD Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch (MW)
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell (MW)
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee (BW)
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso (BW)
Takanori Gomi vs. George Sotiropoulos (LW)
Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski (FW)
Tiequan Zhang vs. Leonard Garcia (FW)
Filed under: UFC, News, JapanSeveral UFC fighters met the media in Japan over the weekend to promote the Feb. 26 UFC 144 show at the Saitama Super Arena, and one of the big questions facing the promotion is whether it can engage Japanese fans who have …
Several UFC fighters met the media in Japan over the weekend to promote the Feb. 26 UFC 144 show at the Saitama Super Arena, and one of the big questions facing the promotion is whether it can engage Japanese fans who have largely turned away from combat sports in recent years.
One of the Japanese fighters on the show, Yushin Okami, thinks there is no question that the UFC will deliver just the kind of product that Japanese fans want.
“It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Japan, so I’m excited. I would love to bring the heat and atmosphere of the real UFC over to Japan,” Okami said at the UFC’s press conference.
Okami has been the most successful Japanese fighter in the UFC, going 10-3 inside the Octagon and losing only to Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin. But his long-term success in the UFC may actually make him less known to fans in his home country because he hasn’t fought back home in almost six years. While other successful Japanese MMA fighters have been fighting in front of Japanese fans, Okami has been fighting in the United States, with occasional stops in Ireland, Germany and Brazil. And Okami was never a big star in Japan, fighting only a couple of low-profile bouts in Pride.
So Okami’s name won’t move the needle in Japan, but his fight with Tim Boesch is a good middleweight matchup, and the card — headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson — is very impressive from top to bottom. What the UFC is bringing to Japan is just a very good fight card, the best that Japanese fans have seen in a long time.
In a Monday morning press conference in the Land of the Rising Sun, Jackson told the Japanese media that it took some effort on his part to ensure his place on the UFC 144 card, and that he finally had his request granted after a non-stop, one-man campaign.
“I had to fight and complain and b—- to my manager,” he said. “Now I think the representatives of UFC are upset with me a little bit … But ask me, do I care?”
For Jackson, any amount of trouble was worth it because of his love of Japanese audiences, who in his opinion value effort above results, a seismic shift from American audiences.
Jackson, who will face Ryan Bader in the co-main event on February 26 in Saitama, Japan, is no stranger to Nipponese culture. From 2001 to 2006, he fought there 18 times while under the PRIDE promotion.
“Back when I was fighting here, I had so much energy,” he said. “I just wanted to put on a good show for the fans because all the energy they give. In America, you’re under so much pressure to win at all costs because the fans talk s— to you if you lose even if it’s a good, exciting fight. In Japan, it’s just a different energy. Who knows? Maybe I’ll take more chances and not care because it’s all about the crowd. I react to the crowd. I don’t care about the people watching on TV.”
It was in Japan where he authored some of his most memorable career moments, including the often-replayed powerbomb knockout win over Ricardo Arona in June 2004. That fight holds particular significance to Jackson because it took place on his 26th birthday.
It was also in Japan where Jackson became renowned for his slams, a particular favorite of the Japanese crowds who enjoyed his aggressive, improvisational style. In a rare bit of public introspection, Jackson noted that since signing with the UFC though, his game has gotten standup-heavy at times.
“Actually my standup has evolved a lot since I last fought here, but at the same time that’s what’s gotten me in trouble a lot lately,” he said. “Everyone sees me boxing a lot more, so they’re creating great game plans to counter my boxing. In Japan, I used to slam a lot and put on more of a show because the energy from the fans gave me power and I don’t feel the same energy in the US. So, I can’t honestly say I improved or evolved in a good way since leaving Japan.”
But in some ways, that doesn’t matter to Jackson right now, because he’s only concerned about entertainment value. One new wrinkle the fighters will have to prepare for is fighting early in the morning. While most fights take place late Saturday night, this event will occur in the morning in Japan in order to sync up with American TV viewing habits.
Jackson noted that as a youth, he was in plenty of fights that came unexpectedly, and he has the time to plan for an early morning peak. He also said that the hardest part of fight day is usually the anticipation of what is to come, and that competing early in the day would cancel out much of that nervous energy.
Beyond that, he said that the biggest obstacle in his way is Bader, and more specifically, making sure he and his opponent understand the collective mind set of Japanese fans.
“The only thing that matters when he steps in the cage in Japan is that he comes in to put on an exciting show,” he said. “I’m all about putting on an exciting fight in Japan. One thing I love about Japanese fans and why I love them the most is that they don’t care if you win or lose. All they care is if you have samurai spirit, that you put on a good fight. That’s why Japanese fans are my favorite. And American fans are jealous that I say that all the time.”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made a name for himself fighting in Japan, and he will finally get to return when he faces The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader at UFC 144.
Several 