Issue 082

December 2011

We look back on some of the biggest moments and events in the career of loveable superstar and future Hall of Famer Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson

1 WINNING THE UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE, UFC 71, 2007

Despite his years of success and fan adulation in Japan’s Pride FC, Jackson’s first MMA title victory didn’t come until his 33rd professional fight in May 2007 with his crushing UFC 71 win over Chuck Liddell. Flooring ‘The Iceman’ with a huge right hand in under two minutes, Jackson finished him with punches on the ground – a result The Iceman had suffered only twice before. After a string of arguably pedestrian wins, ending Liddell’s seven-fight winning streak (amassed since Jackson had stopped him in the second round of their November 2003 Pride fight) in such surprising and spectacular fashion, on one of the year’s most-watched major shows, was even sweeter as Jackson was genuinely back on form. Rampage was at the very top of his division as the UFC light heavyweight champ.

2 UNIFYING UFC AND PRIDE 205LB BELTS, UFC 75, 2007

Less than four months after his UFC 71 upset win, Jackson defended his title in a historic match against his Pride FC counterpart, Dan Henderson. UFC owners Zuffa had bought the once-mighty, then scandal-struck, promotion a few months previously and matched two-weight title-holder ‘Hendo’ up with Jackson in London. It was the UFC’s first trip to the English capital in over five years, the first title unification battle of MMA’s modern era and, thanks to airing on a Spike TV tape delay rather than pay-per-view, reached an audience far bigger than most UFC events. With viewers peaking at almost six million for the Jackson-Henderson main event, UFC 75 eclipsed all previous MMA events in North America. It was a proud moment for Jackson from bell-to-bell, too. Battling Henderson for the full five rounds of a cracking fight, Jackson walked away with a unanimous decision and two titles.

3 KNOCKING OUT WANDERLEI SILVA, UFC 92, 2008

Finishing one of the sport’s great trilogies in brutal, winning style, Jackson’s UFC 92 knockout of Wanderlei Silva was one of the year’s most memorable finishes. It also concluded a half-decade feud that started in Japan back in ‘03 when Jackson was the sport’s fast-rising star and ‘The Axe Murderer’ reigned as Pride FC middleweight (205lb) king. Their fights in the East were epic battles, the first ending with the referee saving Rampage from a destructive series of knees to the face and the second, in ‘04, with him draped, bleeding and unconscious, through the ropes. Third time around in ‘08, with the first serious punch of the fight, Jackson sparked Silva out cold and followed up on the ground until referee Yves Lavigne saved the Brazilian. Sweet revenge over an old enemy.

4 PLAYING B.A. BARACUS IN THE A-TEAM MOVIE, 2010

While most MMA fighters’ Hollywood dreams languish in bargain-bin DVD sales or cameos as largely nameless fighters/hardmen in bigger budget films, Jackson bagged a 2010 starring role in the $110 million big-screen outing for ‘80s TV show favorite The A Team. While Rampage was hardly complimentary about the experience of making and promoting the film, the perfect casting of him as the surly, powerful street fighter with a conscience made him one of the most talked-about fighters in the sport. Outside the world of MMA, every film fan knew Baracus was being played by a genuine fighter, raising the profile of Jackson and his sport. It was certainly a more memorable career highlight than getting beaten up by pantomime soccer ‘hardcase’ Vinny Jones in underappreciated 2008 horror film Midnight Meat Train.

5 ‘BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME’

While he’s long since disavowed the profanity-laced interviews that helped make him such a beloved figure in his Pride FC heyday of 2001–04, Jackson remains one of the funniest, most quotable men in the sport. He’s also one of the most eagerly confrontational when challenged. His rivalry with another former UFC light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans, went memorably public in March 2009 with an electrifying staredown and trash-talking session where he promised some “black on black crime.” Eventually fighting (and losing a disappointing decision to) Evans at UFC 114 some 14 months later, their feud had progressed through coaching on the most watched, and among the most compulsively watchable, seasons of The Ultimate Fighter in history. Hyped with a superb three-week Primetime series, their title elimination fight pulled in over a million North American pay-per-view buys – an absolute triumph of promotion that helped cement Jackson’s status as a fighting superstar.