UFC 135 Preview - Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

There are few Mixed Martial Artists in the world who demand more respect than Rampage Jackson. Sure, there are a handful of fighters that deserve more respect than him, but few seek it out in the way Jackson does.
A man fueled by ego and emotion, Rampage was made famous for his wolf-like howls pre and post-fight. He always sports a gaudy, and flamboyant metal chain so big it could have been ripped off of a tow truck, and is notorious for his pre-fight antics. Leading up to his UFC 114 clash with Rashad Evans, Jackson openly talked of his pure hatred for Evans. As a result, they were both selected to coach opposite one another on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
The banter back and forth between the two coaches was some of the better trash talking that the UFC reality show has seen so far. The two had several face-to-face confrontations and the anticipation for their meeting grew, culminating in a buy rate of 1.05 million for the pay-per-view event. Jackson was wobbled early by a short combination, and driven to the mat by the former Michigan State University wrestling standout, Evans. The fight went on much the same, Rampage struggling to gain position under the superior wrestling of Evans. Jackson eventually mounted a solid offensive attack, but it was too little too late, as Evans went on to win a unanimous decision.
The winner of the Rampage-Rashad fight was promised the next title shot at Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but when Evans suffered a knee injury, rising star, Jon Jones was called in to replace him. Jones manhandled Shogun en route to claiming the UFC Light Heavyweight Title, and upon recovery, Rashad was promised the next title shot. Through various shuffles due to injuries to Jones, and to Evans’ new opponent, Phil Davis, Rampage found his way to the top of the division and was awarded the title shot. Ironically, the bout between Evans and Rampage was to determine who would get the next title shot, but it is Rampage who is to have the first shot at taking down Jones, not Evans.
Rampage had finally bested Evans, and gotten the last laugh, but the trash talking was not over yet. Evans, who is a known enemy of Jones, began poking fun at Jones on twitter, hoping Rampage would join in and berate his upcoming opponent. Jackson instead chose to call out Evans, and give respect to Jones. For the first time, fans saw the humane side of Rampage, and came to expect a respectful slew of press appearances.
Rampage’s ego eventually got the best of him and he began calling for Jones to return “his” belt. He also alleged that Jones had a spy in his training camp, and was recording his workouts to get an edge. Jones refuted the claims, and continued to respect his opponent. Any average fan could see Jones was just seconds away from losing his composure as the two met for a meeting at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger. Rampage later went on to reveal his source for his claims as MusclePharm Vice President Leonard Armenta, who subsequently lost his job.
It will be a tough fight for Rampage, as he has never faced anyone the size of Jones. Most of the time when fans see Rampage in the cage, he is outmuscling his opponents, slamming them into the mat and putting them out with vicious strikes. It will be a different story when he faces a man with such athletic prowess.
Jones has a clear reach advantage, possessing the longest reach in the UFC at 84.5 inches. He also has a height advantage, and is clearly the better wrestler. This one could play out similar to Rampage’s matchup with Evans, so he better have learned from his mistakes. The only difference here is that Jones is on a completely different level from Evans when it comes to his striking game. They may be close to equal in their wrestling, Rashad could even have an edge, but Jones is an astronomically better striker. He also has a better chin than Evans, who was knocked out by Lyoto Machida’s less-than-stellar right hand. Jones will take it slow and dictate the pace of the fight. Jones wins this one by TKO in the fourth round.
Jon Jones will walk out of the Octagon on Saturday night as, in the words of Bruce Buffer, “the reigning, defending, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.”