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More Mature, Rampage Ready For Axe Murderer

3K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  Scarecrow 
#1 ·

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is back in the U.S. after a trip across the pond to the U.K., where he’s set up shop at the Wolfslair gym alongside teammates Paul Kelly and Michael Bisping.



Jackson’s commute is hard on his family life, so he lavishes attention on his four children when he returns.



“My dad was a working man. He was in the National Guard, be gone for two weeks at a time,” Jackson said in an exclusive video interview with MMAWeekly.com. “My big boys understand; my two little babies, they don’t know. They just know, ‘daddy gone, pow, pow.’”



Jackson immediately took a liking to the Wolfslair when Bisping invited him there to train for his fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 75. Jackson successfully defended his title, but lost it in a subsequent five-round war with Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. After leaving former trainer Juanito Ibarra, he felt a move across the pond was necessary.



“The managers and stuff over there are really good, and it’s just really a good atmosphere,” he said. “The guys work really hard. I needed a change in my training and how people trained me. I’m a Werewolf, and the name of the gym is the Wolfslair. You do the math.”



Wolfslair trainers have Jackson doing things he’s never done for a fight.



“I’m swimming now,” he said. “It’s helping my cardio get a lot better. I’ve started lifting weights. What do you call it, strength and conditioning.”



Change seems to be the only constant in Jackson’s life. Only three months ago, he was riding high with a UFC belt, soaking in the perks of the position. After the Griffin loss, his world seemed to take a seismic shift; a breakup from Ibarra, a high-profile brush with the law, and training relocation to a foreign land came in rapid succession. In the middle of all this, he was offered a fight at UFC 92 with Wanderlei Silva, a man who not only beat him, but beat him badly on two separate occasions.



Heady times for anyone; let alone a person in the spotlight. Jackson says his age has made him a wiser man, and more capable against a monster like Silva.



“I think this fight will be different because I think I’m more mature now,” he said. “I’m a lot older, got a lot more experience. I fought Wanderlei both times when I was a kid, I feel like I was a kid in this sport. I got a little bit better skills now. I won’t have to fight Chuck Liddell first, and this time there won’t be so much pressure. We’re not fighting for any championship, we’re just going out there and fighting for money.”



Jackson will certainly know if his life changes have made him a better fighter when he steps into the Octagon with Silva in December. But first and foremost, he wants his fans to know that he won’t be distracted by the whirlwind around him.



“I’ve got the best people around me. I’m a child of God,” he said. “Ain’t nothing distracting me, homie. Trust me.”

the video interview : http://videos.mmaweekly.com/view_player.php?id=2804

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7334&zoneid=13
 
#2 ·
i hope that's just typical rampage goofiness about not ever lifting weights before a fight. i mean maybe if he means RIGHT before a fight... but saying he never really lifted weights? he must have done at least some kind of exercise beyond simple body weight exercises... dude is hugely muscled and has been since I first saw him in KOTC.
 
#9 ·
More mature??? I don't remember Rampage getting into any police chases or public feuds with his trainer during his previous fights with Wanderlei. I like Rampage, but I don't think he's in the right state of a mind right now, too much stuff going on his life.
 
#11 ·
So you don't think what happens outside the ring affects what happens inside? If you don't have the discipline and control to handle your personal life, how are you going to be able to suddenly have it when it comes to training?

With so much drama going on his life right now, I can already see all the excuses if Rampage loses to Wand: lawsuit distracted him, he wasn't focused on the fight, he wasn't use to new trainer, etc.

I'm a fan of Rampage, but his mind is not where it needs to be at right now for him to be at his peak as a fighter.
 
#14 ·
Rampage vs. Wanderlie 3

...Man I had a feeling when Wanderlie Silva signed with the UFC it was just a matter of time before the two would face each other again. If this fight happens, it could easily be one of the best MMA fights in years. What a mecca fight and money maker this would be for the UFC. It would also draw in the Pride Japanese fans who witnessed those two fights that were so incredible. I know one thing is for certain...Rampage will do whatever it takes to avoid Wanderlie's infamous Muay Thai clinch with the knees that brutally ended both fights.
...Rampage has matured as a fighter without a doubt and I'm glad he got to finally wear a championship belt since Wandy dashed his hopes twice. Wanderlie is just as intense as ever and after he destroyed Jardine in 36 seconds, it was a flashback of the dominant champion he was for over 5 years in Pride. I don't think there is a single MMA fan or fighter in the world who wouldn't want to see them bang 1 last time.
...To pick a winner now...I can't!:dunno: Wanderlie would be coming in with momentum and confidence. Rampage just coming off a title loss would be starving to avenge both losses to Wanderlie. I love both fighters and seeing them fight again for the last time would be a privilege and one of the best fights in UFC history...without question!!...:praise01:
 
#16 ·
Lets try to give Rampage the benefit of the doubt. Nobody else on this forum is walking in his shoes, knows how he's handling the pressure from his recent mishaps, or is even on good enough relations with him to even BEGIN to assume how prepared he will be for Wandy.

I for one, am happy to hear that he's doing well and taking care of his family and training in the best fashion he can.
 
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