Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the biggest names in the history of mixed martial arts. The 40-year-old has endeared himself to fans over the years with his magnetic charisma, along with his trademark chain necklace and howl before he makes his walk into battle.
Jackson (37-13) debuted in Nov. 1999, defeating recently retired UFC fighter Mike Pyle by unanimous decision at ISCF: Memphis. After 11 fights on the regional circuit, Jackson got the chance he was looking for when PRIDE offered him the opportunity to face the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE 15 in July 2001. He may have lost by first-round submission, but Jackson gained the hearts of the Japanese for the exciting style and effort he brought into the ring.
He went 12-4 in the promotion, facing Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva (twice) and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua along the way. Jackson had one fight under the WFA banner until the promotion was bought out by the UFC in 2006. The menacing light heavyweight’s contract was one of the assets in the deal.
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In only his second UFC fight, Jackson shocked the world at UFC 71 by knocking out Chuck Liddell in just under two minutes to capture the light heavyweight title. Jackson would go on to beat Dan Henderson at UFC 75 to unify the PRIDE and UFC belts.
Jackson ended up dropping the title to The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 via a narrow unanimous decision. After losing the title, Jackson would go 4-4 for the rest of his UFC run.
His UFC 114 fight with Rashad Evans set the record at the time for the most buys for a non-title bout, generating an estimated 1,050,000 buys. Also, Jackson coached the highest-rated season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Evans and helped establish Jon Jones as a pay-per-view attraction, doing an estimated 520,000 buys. Jackson became the first UFC fighter to star in a major motion picture, playing B. A. Baracus in ‘A-Team’.
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In June 2013, Jackson signed a multi-year deal with Spike TV. The deal included him fighting in Bellator and wrestling for TNA Impact Wrestling. Jackson didn’t wrestle for the promotion, but he did win all three of his contests inside the Bellator cage.
In December 2014, Jackson announced he had signed a new deal with the UFC, claiming Bellator breached its contract with him, allowing a return to the company. The UFC scheduled Jackson to take on Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186. Bellator won an injunction, which blocked Jackson from taking the bout. The decision was reversed, and he went on to defeat Maldonado in his last UFC contest.
Jackson went back to Bellator and has gone 1-2 in his return. He’s scheduled to battle Silva for the fourth time at Bellator 205 on Sept. 29, which airs exclusively on DAZN.
Let’s take a look at Qunton “Rampage” Jackson’s last five fights.
Rampage Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen
Date: Jan. 20, 2018
Result: Sonnen won by unanimous decision.
Summary: This was the opening bout of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix. Jackson wasn’t too fond of the matchup because he was tired of facing wrestlers, and it didn’t play to his strengths. His notion proved to be correct, as Sonnen used his wrestling for the majority of the fight to earn the victory and move onto the semifinals.
Rampage Jackson vs. Muhammed Lawal
Date: Mar. 31, 2017
Result: Lawal won by unanimous decision.
Summary: Jackson won their first bout at Bellator 120 in the promotion’s first PPV. Lawal felt he got the wrong end of that decision and had done more than enough to win. Jackson had no problem giving “King Mo” a chance to prove himself at Bellator 175. This time around, Lawal did just that, winning a close decision in a battle contested primarily on the feet.
Rampage Jackson vs. Satoshi Ishii
Date: June 24, 2016
Result: Jackson won by split decision.
Summary: This was Jackson’s least favorite style of opponent to face in his return to Bellator. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo used his superior grappling early in the fight to frustrate Jackson. However, the veteran was able to fend off the ground attack and use his boxing to escape Bellator 157 with the nod.
Rampage Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado
Date: April 25, 2015
Result: Jackson won by unanimous decision.
Summary: Considering the legal circumstances surrounding the UFC 185 battle, no one could have blamed Jackson if the distractions affected his performance. That wouldn’t be the case, as Jackson used effective striking to earn the victory.
Rampage Jackson vs. Muhammed Lawal
Date: May 17, 2014
Result: Jackson won by unanimous decision.
Summary: This was the main event of Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view. Up to this point, Jackson and Lawal had been feuding for several years and wanted to get their hands on each other. Lawal had the advantage in the grappling department, while Rampage had the upper hand in striking. The judges saw the strikes as more effective and gave Jackson the victory. He wasn’t impressed by his own outing, though, as he wanted to knock Lawal out.
