'Rampage' is known for having the meanest streak in MMA, yet he's been charged for lacking motivation in recent years. An exclusive look inside his new high-tech training facility and discovers how he's rekindled his passion for pain and fury.

In terms of mixed martial arts, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has achieved more than most warriors could ever dream of.

He's a former Pride light heavyweight (then middleweight) number-one contender, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, a fan favorite around the world and he boasts an elite record of 32-8. Yet some have questioned his motivation. 

After a lackluster performance against nemesis Rashad Evans back at UFC 114 last year, fans have voiced their concern that Rampage doesn't care for the sport anymore, that his head has been turned by the bright lights of Hollywood and his heart is no longer in MMA.

Ultimately, that he's no longer a fighter with the hunger to climb back on top. It was perceived that the wolf is no longer howling.

His new high-tech training facility located in the mountains of Colorado, we discover a man reborn, a man who's found a new lease of life; a man invigorated.

“This camp has honestly been the best camp of my whole fight career,” Rampage says, exuding a burning passion that echoes the intensity he brutally harnessed as young man in Pride, a promising determined fighter who surged the ranks hungry for blood.

At the time of speaking he is training for his light heavyweight title showdown with Jon 'Bones' Jones, and his focus is intense.

“Over the years I started hating training more and more because of the injuries I've picked up, but this camp has been amazing.

They've got me taking great supplements and in the past two days I've ran a total of 18 miles. I did 13 yesterday and five today.

This is the first camp where I haven't complained and I've woke up every day feeling ready to go.”

And who wouldn't want to be ready to burn at the crack of dawn in perhaps the most technologically advanced gym in MMA?

The move from his usual training locations to the MusclePharm Training Facility in Denver, Colorado, was masterminded by Rampage's manager and head coach at Team Wolfslair, Anthony McGann.

For the first time, McGann has had complete control of Rampage's camp. Ditching their Wolflslair home base in the UK and Rampage's usual high-altitude Big Bear Training Facility in California, McGann shipped the entire Wolfslair team out to Colorado to experience the forefront of fight-training technology. 

The camp plays host to a range of futuristic equipment, including a brain-wave machine that tells the fighter when they're at peak fitness (both physically and mentally), a state-of-the-art jump squat machine that works off air pressure and the most prominent of all its attributes, an underwater treadmill with pressure jets designed to create extreme resistance.

Then there's the added extras of the facility's own supplement range and a personal chef on site.

APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE

“We decided to go to MusclePharm because the guy who owns it, Brad Pyatt, is an ex-NFL player so he knows what an athlete needs.

In fact, it's so good we're going to get all our guys to come here now for their camps,” says McGann. “Like Big Bear, it's at high altitude so Quinton's cardio is put to the test, and the assistance we get here is unbelievable. The equipment we've got to work with is at the elite level. Quinton has been using the HydroWorx underwater treadmill regularly. It's a pool that's deep to your chest and has two jets that create a very powerful current in the water. You can do sustained runs that you can put into rounds. You can do sprints in it.

We vary it up depending on what you need it for. When you put the jets on, because the current's throwing your body back, not only have you got to fight against the current as your legs are pushing the water out of the way as you're running, but then half your body's submerged so you've taken the weight off you.”

Rampage is also an avid advocate of his latest workout tool.

“Running on an underwater treadmill is outrageous and that's the reason why I can comfortably run 13 miles. When you're running underwater and then you put the jets on it makes running in the street child’s play.

I could run five miles fast and not even care. The last week of my last camp when I was heavier I had trouble running three miles.

Now I actually like running.”

KNOCKOUT SQUATS

Known for his insane punch power – which, broken down, comes from a result of kinetic energy shooting through the legs and out at the point of impact – Rampage has upped the ante by including more jump squats as a main component to his regime.

“He loves jump squats,” adds McGann. “We've got a machine here that works off air pressure. It's a pound per square inch air pressure thing. Imagine a CalRack (a rack designed for hauling ladders that is fitted to a truck) that you stand in. You've got two pads at the side of your head. Instead of raising your calves, you jump up and down.

Your power comes from your leg and your butt. Ask Quinton why he punches so hard and he'll tell you the power came from jump squats.”

Of course, just as having a fine pair of fight gloves won't necessarily deliver an instant knockout, so solely having the best equipment isn't going to secure Rampage success – it's also the grit-and-spit training and hard work ethic behind the fanciful tech that will determine whether Jackson supersedes all competition.

This is why McGann has ensured he still includes the essentials into Rampage's regime.

“We've also been incorporating strength and conditioning workouts, plyometrics (when the muscle is loaded and contracted in rapid sequence with the intention of producing faster, more powerful movements and an improved nervous system) and a lot of jump squats,” says McGann.

“We tend to use large movements like clean and press or power cleans – anything that uses several muscle groups at high intensity.

The golden rule is you want muscle fatigue, not pumping your muscle up like a bodybuilder. You'll see a boxer sitting there, not lifting his arms up but not even gasping for breath; it's muscle fatigue.

It's basically high-intensity circuits, as heavy as you get them.

When it's been done in various formats, we try and change it and mix it up tonkeep it interesting.”

Then there's the technical side. While Rampage has over 10 years experience in the fight game, his body is strong and steadfast, yet there's always room to sharpen technique and cardio.

“I'm also doing a lot of other stuff for cardio like heavy wrestling and heavy sparring. I wanna train as hard as possible so my fight is as easy as possible. You know, like you guys say, train hard fight easy,” he laughs. “I haven't done as much strength and conditioning as I did for my last camp. This was more about developing my skills and cardio.

I'm already pretty strong and Jon doesn't strike me as an overly strong person so other things need to be looked at as he's so well-rounded.”

McGann is keen to justify this dramatic change in training.

“Normally we put emphasis on strength and conditioning.

However, for this fight, we believe he needs to increase his skill set.

For the last camp [against Matt Hamill] he spent eight weeks training to defend single and double-leg takedowns.

The camp before [against Lyoto Machida] he spent eight weeks trying to chase down a southpaw who stands eight feet away.

We believe, going against Jon Jones, who's technically very sound, we have to bring Quinton's skillset back up. It's just a case of sharpening everything.

“We've done technical pad work systems and then extreme cardio at the end. The first five weeks of camp we worked heavily on his technique, we emphasized a cardiovascular and muscle fatigue point of view. We've wrestled him hard, whereas maybe we could have been using jump squats or plyometrics instead. We've ensured he's had a very high cardiovascular workout, but then sharpened his technique.

Then, after five weeks, we turned it into a gameplan timetable.

We took all the disciplines such as boxing and Thai etc, and turned them MMA-centric. 

“Then in the last three weeks we've combined everything.

We've made the rounds longer because of the title fight.

We've been doing five-minute rounds. We have a great emphasis on building a fighter week by week. In his last camp he'd do five six-minute rounds at the beginning and end of the camp.

There was no kind of peak or increase in performance.

Now each week we build and build him. Over a six-week period we build him up to seven-minute rounds. Then in the final two or three spars we chop it down to five-minute rounds and we change the partners faster to up the intensity. From a psychological point of view he's gone from doing a round and a half to a normal five-minute round so he'll feel invincible.”

RAMPAGE 2.0

While sharpening his skills and introducing new technical equipment to Rampage's training regiment may have had a very positive affect on his work ethos, McGann noticed there was one major thing that was still holding him back from unleashing his true potential; his weight.

Walking around at nearly the same weight as the colossal heavyweight Shane Carwin, it was little wonder that Rampage lacked enthusiasm when it came to the crunch and he had to shed to 205lb.

“He's a big strong guy who carries a lot of muscle.

His lean muscle mass at the moment is at 205lb. He's a big guy who blows up,” says McGann. “When he got the first call to fight Jon Jones he had to turn it down because he was walking around at 248lb and could no way cut in time. But this time, he'd just fought Hamill and knew he was fighting Jon Jones, so he's kept his weight down to around 227lb. 

“Anyone who knows about training will understand that if you take 10lb off someone, it's a universe of difference. You pick up a 10lb weight in the gym and think it's not that heavy, yet apply it to a high-end performer and it's the difference between a mile and a meter.

Now he wants to do more. He wants to do the extra round.

He wants to push himself.”

Now Rampage is suitably svelte, it also appears he takes much more pride and enjoyment in his diet and supplementation.

“MusclePharm's got this great stuff called Muscle Gel that you take with water and it just keeps you going with crazy boosts of energy.

These folks know what they're doing,” he smiles.

“I've also got a chef cooking me good food. Soon as I'm done training I've got food waiting for me. You aint gotta wait to cook it.

My favorite meal during training camp has to be the healthy pizza my chef makes. I'm also drinking at least a gallon to a gallon and a half of water a day.”

While Rampage proclaims to be feeling in the best shape of his life, how does McGann actually know when he's at his peak?

“When a fighter reaches his peak you'll see a sudden weight drop.

An unexpected two or three pounds will come down and you'll see that spike in performance,” says McGann.

“Say he's doing a jump squat. You'll see that where he's usually doing seven or eight inches he's instead doing 13 or 14 inches.

Once you've reached that position, you can maintain it for a week or 10 days but then you're on a downward slope, which is the typical situation with overtraining. 

“At this new facility we also have an Omegawave machine.

It measures the electrical activity in the brain and it'll tell you what you need to do. Such as no high-cardio workouts for 24 hours or tell you Rampage is good to go and not under stress in any way.

Between the coaches' experience and the scientific aspect of the MusclePharm gym, he's climbing that slope gradually and his performance is going up at the right levels each week.

The simple formula is you increase your performance each week and your weight should come down in a similar fashion.

Obviously your weight needs to be at a reasonable level at the start.

If it isn't you crash early. You get down to the zone early and steadily lose weight; two to three pounds each week.”

REVITALIZED WOLF PACK

McGann's final tweak to Rampage's training was a reshuffle within his support network, including some exciting new additions.

“I've got great coaches like Mark Kinney for my boxing and Tom Blackledge for my jiu-jitsu. Blackledge actually lived with me for five months while I was filming The A-Team,” Rampage says with enthusiasm. “I've got Dave Jackson (also interviewed here) doing my Muay Thai and we've brought in Ryan Schultz who was recommended as a very good wrestling coach and he's just been phenomenal.

I even brought in big Ed 'Pee Wee' Herman to come here to kick my ass.”

The team have afforded Rampage not only the elite in MMA know-how, but are also a good group he can kick back with when the pressure gets too much. “It's real important to have fun and break up all the hardcore training,” he says. “One of the main reasons I like the Wolfslair guys is not just because they're hard working but also because they're fun guys. You have to be when you're cooped up in the gym all day.

You gotta remember we're not cyborgs, even if people think we might be. We love to have a good time. We're like brothers.”

It appears that Rampage is now at ease with his lifestyle and his training. It's a long call from just a year and a half ago when his dedication to MMA was questioned. Such was the grass greener in the lucrative world of Hollywood movies, Rampage began filming The A-Team in 2010 – which he subsequently accredited to his loss to Rashad Evans in the UFC light heavyweight title eliminator last year. Yet, although he plans to continue his movie career, he now understands his true dwelling is in the world of mixed martial arts.

“He's learned that Hollywood isn't the fairytale that everyone believes. It's hard work and long hours,” says McGann.

“Sometimes it'll work, sometimes it'll fail. He's learned the fight game is where he earns his money. He wants to be the one-time Pride champion and two-time UFC champion. It's another stage.

The sport's just took another leap with the Fox deal. It's all happening at the moment so he's very motivated and very focused.”

Above all else though, there is one thing that truly keeps Rampage putting the axe to the grindstone.

“One of the main reasons I'm motivated to fight now is for my family.

I wanna make sure my kids can go to college and get scholarships.

I've been fighting for a long time. I want nice things, I want Lamborghinis. I'm a black man from humble beginnings. I wanna go places and do things.

"I'm not gonna let the way a lot of Americans see me as a black person that shouldn't have things happen. I've been working hard for 10–11 years. I wanna make what I've been doing to my body worthwhile.

Think about it, when I get to 40 or 50 I'm probably gonna walk like Hulk Hogan. I wanna enjoy my life now. I wanna make sure my kids don't need anything and my momma and dad fix up their house.

If that's not motivation, then what is?”

The Underwater Treadmill

The HydroWorx underwater treadmill is the latest addition to Rampage's workout regime. Set in a pool that's four-foot-six deep, the treadmill can move for up to speeds of 7.5mph. Sound easy?

Try doing it against the current flow as powerful underwater jets knock you back. 

 “What you'll find is there are guys out there who are versed in muscle fatigue. Without the jets you get extreme muscle fatigue but you don't get out of breath,” explains Anthony McGann, Rampage's manager and head coach. “With the jets you get extreme muscle fatigue and cardiovascular exercise because you're working into the current.

What we've found is Quinton gets a high-level workout with this machine with virtually no pain if he's had a rough session and is sore.

You get in there with a stiff back, it fixes it. You get in there with a tight hamstring, it fixes it. You're loosening muscles because you've got virtually no weight on them, so you get a good workout and a physiotherapy session as well.”

POOL SHARK

No budget for a high-tech underwater treadmill? Grab a medicine ball and head down to the local swimming pool. The weight of the medicine ball will keep you from floating, while the resistance from running through water will create muscle fatigue and boost your workout. 

Dave Jackson

Rampage's Muay Thai coach.

Q: Since you've been working with Rampage at MusclePharm, have you noticed anything different in him?

Dave: “When he's in camp he's extremely focused, especially in this one. There's a fire inside him this time. He's very intense.

He's very particular about certain things. He's an experienced fighter who knows what he wants so he works with his coaches really well.

He has his own ideas and likes to work on the things he does best. Instead of worrying too much about what his opponent does, he gets on and does what he does best.”

Q: Quinton is known for being a brawler, what's his biggest asset as far as his striking game?

A: “I don't see Quinton as a brawler. I think he started out as a brawler but has developed into an aggressive come-forward fighter who picks his shots really well. He's using angles a lot more. He's using kicks a lot more. He's not a brawler anymore. He's a handful.”

Q: What's the biggest misconception about Rampages fighting style?

A: “Everybody says he doesn't kick. Rampage can kick. He can really kick. I hold the pads for him, there's no two ways about it. Cheick Kongo kicks real hard and Rampage is up there with him. He's got phenomenal kicks, but if you've got two weapons and you think one's stronger than the other you'll go with the strong one until it isn't working.”

Q: So, how hard does he hit?

A: “Unbelievably hard. He's on ESPN's Sports Science showing he hits harder than Mike Tyson. I've held the pads for a lot of fighters and nobody hits as hard as he does. Cheick's a heavyweight and he still doesn't hit as hard as Rampage. Rampage's punch accelerates in a strange way. It's got phenomenal acceleration and when you're holding the pads it's hard to time it. The way he knocks people out, they don't time the punch coming, they don't see the punch coming. It accelerates late and it's devastating.”

Q: What has been the theme of the Jon Jones camp? Did you prepare differently?

“Obviously, it's a five-round title fight. We're aware that he's not been at his fittest in his last few fights. He came out of the Hamill fight uninjured and went straight into pre-camp. A couple of coaches from Wolfslair came out to California and started working with him in his new gym. So two weeks before his camp even started he was starting to make in-roads into his fitness. Then we came out to Denver. We were up in altitude so the first week was real hard as we acclimatized.

The emphasis is on getting him super-fit for five rounds and we've done that. The camp’s been very disciplined. Quinton's been very disciplined, he's been literally living in the gym. Basically he's in jail. He's here and he doesn't leave this building. 

“Come fight night he won't have left here for almost nine weeks, and that's a different mental attitude to the Quinton of other fights, where he can nip home and relax. There are no home comforts here.

There's not a fridge with crap in it. There's nowhere for him to make mistakes. He's eating what's been put in front of him. He's sleeping when he's told to sleep. He's training when he's told to train and he's doing it with a smile on his face.”

David and Goliath

Rampage regularly likes to roll with the gargantuan UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Not only does grappling with someone bigger and heavier force you to sharpen up your technique to compensate for the deficit in mass, but also their sheer weight can help replicate fifth-round fatigue.