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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is on a hot streak. First, he knocked out Chuck Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight championship. Then, he defeated Dan Henderson to unify that belt with the Pride FC middleweight title -- a belt that eluded him for more than six years. Now, Jackson has a chance to defeat one of the most popular fighters in the sport when he takes on Forrest Griffin at UFC 86.
We recently caught up with Jackson to discuss the fight with Griffin, his thoughts on the UFC and how he becomes so focused inside the cage.
Question: How's everything going with your training camp leading up to fight with Griffin?
Rampage Jackson: Everything is going good. The training camp is great. I'm above schedule in my cardio because I like to peak. I'll have some extra cardio this time to whip up on Forrest. I think everything is going according to plan.
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| Meaner than a Junkyard Dog: 'Rampage' prepares for Griffin. (UFC) |
R.J.: I didn't even watch that fight on tape yet. I was there, but that fight didn't impress me much. Shogun wasn't the same. If I watch that fight and try to go off that fight, I'd be misled because Shogun wasn't 100 percent. If Shogun was 100 percent and fights like he normally fights, that would be the fight to watch. Heck, Shogun's girlfriend could have beat him that night.
Q: What do you think about former Pride guys like Shogun and Mirko Cro Cop having mixed results coming over to the U.S.?
R.J.: Things happen. I think Shogun took the fight with Forrest because he needed it. I don't think he should have taken the fight on such short notice. I'm a fighter. I can tell how the fighter fought in the past and how they are fighting on that day. I could tell something was up with Shogun, that he was hurt. With Cro Cop, his first fight in the UFC he had the UFC jitters. It's just hard to get used to the UFC.
Q: What was it like to be on the Ultimate Fighter show with Forrest Griffin? Was it hard to have to see him so often?
R.J.: Nah -- it wasn't hard. I didn't see him every day.
Q: Did you and Forrest have any animosity during the show?
R.J.: We got upset with each other once or twice. When I thought one of my fighters got a bad decision, I think he said something he shouldn't have said and that was it.
Q: It seems like the UFC is setting Chuck Liddell up as a potential challenger after the Forrest Griffin fight. Is that a fight you'd be interested in having again?
