If his kids stay out of trouble, ‘Rampage’ may retire at 35

Quinton Jackson doesn't want to be like Roy Jones Jr. and countless other boxers who fight because they have to financially. The former UFC light heavyweight champ always targeted 35 years old as the time to walk away. Jackson, 32, still believes that, but there are some uncontrollable factors that could change the plan.

"I have kids to look out for. I want to put some of my kids through college. I know some of my kids ... I'm gonna need lawyers fees for them," joked Jackson. "Y'all laughing but I know this!"

Jackson was in a good mood as he spoke during Wednesday's final press conference for UFC 130. In spite of the talk that he's not motivated for this fight, he seems to have a new outlook on his fighting career. Jackson has benefited greatly from being able to earn a healthy living.

"My parents were real poor and I want my mom to drive a nice car and have a nice house, and I want my dad to have the same. That's the thing that drives me to keep fighting so I can afford to keep doing those things," said Jackson.

Rampage is starting to realize he can lengthen his career by cleaning things up outside the cage. That could mean he fights past 35.

"When I used to fight in PRIDE, I was a single parent and I used to eat fast food all the time. I used have to cut 15 pounds every time before a fight. I really got sick of that over the years," Jackson said. "I'm sick and tired of that lifestyle, being real heavy."

Jackson knows it cost him a title shot earlier this year.

"I really regret getting real heavy after my November fight because I couldn't fight [Mauricio] "Shogun" [Rua] after Rashad [Evans] got injured. It was like a kick in the ass," said Jackson.

During Wednesday's presser, Jackson looked visibly thinner than before previous fights.

"I was really excited about getting in shape for this fight. When you look at yourself in the mirror and you're disgusted with yourself, and you're a professional athlete, that's bad," said Jackson.

Jackson faces Matt Hamill in the main event of UFC 130 on Saturday.

You can watch UFC 130 right here on Yahoo! Sports

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Kenichiro Togoshi, Guy Delumeau Shine at Shooto Gig Tokyo 6

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Former pacific rim champion Kenichiro Togashi's suger-sweet jab again led him to victory on Friday night as he out-boxed Shin Kochiwa from the southpaw stance in the main event of Shooto Gig Tokyo 6 at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, Japan. Three long rounds of jabs and counters bloodied a helpless Kochiwa and it wasn't until the final 30 seconds of the last round.

Hawaiian wrestler Guy Delumeau exploited the weakness of Yusuke Yachi, taking the promising Krazy Bee striker down time and time again to grab the unanimous decision. A brief moment on the feet was capitalized on by the 2009 rookie champion as Yachi landed a huge high kick against the ropes in the second stanza. After the shin to the face Delumeau took no more risks and cruised his way to the decision via his dominant top control.

Haruo Ochi dramatically derailed 2010 rookie champion Kosuke "Rambo" Suzuki scoring an incredible come from behind knockout. Suzuki dominated the majority of the fight, landing strikes at will and humiliating Ochi with constant submission attempts but late in the second round, Ochi landed a flying knee followed by a hook that crushed Suzuki and sent him unconscious to the canvas.

Full results after the break.


Shooto Gig Tokyo 6 - May 28, 2011 at Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan

Kenichiro Togashi def. Shin Kochiwa by Unanimous Decision
Guy Delumeau def. Yusuke Yachi by Unanimous Decision
Haruo Ochi def. Kosuke Suzuki by KO (Punch) - Round 2, 2:10
Kenji Yamamoto def. Minoru Takeuchi by KO (Punch) - Round 2, 2:12
Chuji Kato def. Yoshinori Suzuki by Unanimous Decision
Yusuke Kasuya def. Yoshikazu Fujiishi by Submission (Choke) - Round 1, 4:47
Shoki Omichi def. Brody Fujita by Submission (Armbar) - Round 2, 4.20

 

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UFC 130 Main Event Breakdown: Rampage Jackson vs. Matt Hamill

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LAS VEGAS -- The UFC 130 main event match between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Matt Hamill was not supposed to be. Jackson didn't want it, and it's not so difficult to understand why. Hamill wanted it, and it's obvious why. For one man, there seemed to be plenty to lose with little potential upside, and for the other, it would be his first opportunity to show he belongs among the elite. That makes for one of the most classic storylines in sports, but will it make for a classic fight?

As it turns out, the stakes are much higher than originally anticipated. As reported on Wednesday, Jackson is likely fighting for a chance to compete for the championship later this year. What once seemed like a lose/lose situation for him is now bursting with opportunity.

And for Hamill, he not only has the chance to play spoiler, but also to inject himself into the title picture. A victory over Jackson would give him six straight while marking his most meaningful win.

A look at their styles show that Jackson and Hamill aren't so different. Both began with wrestling as their dominant trait but have moved to a striking-heavy style. Both have heavy hands, and each has the ability to take the fight down when he wants to. Neither wants to all that often, though, which should mean this match is determined on the feet.

When it comes to the striking game, Jackson is more dynamic, though he sometimes holsters his kicks and relies on his formidable fists. Working with Muay Thai coach Lance Gibson, though, Jackson seems to be aware of the issue and in his last fight with Lyoto Machida, threw a higher ratio of kicks than he had in recent contests. According to Compustrike, of his standing strikes, about 19 percent were kicks, almost double his usual ratio.

A diverse Rampage is a dangerous Rampage, but really, a motivated Rampage is a dangerous Rampage. So is he motivated? While he made headlines over the last few weeks by saying he's not overly excited to face Hamill, he seems to be in a good state of mind during fight week, fit and lean, smiling and joking. He's even talked about winning to again win a championship, something he once said he didn't care much about.

Jackson gets quite a bit of flack for saying things that are sometimes outlandish or controversial, but the fact of the matter is he's still an elite fighter. Over his last 11 fights, he's 9-2, with wins over former UFC and PRIDE champs like Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson. And neither of his losses has been overly one-sided. Rampage is just a hard fighter to beat, because even if he doesn't come into the fight in optimal shape, he's always going to have fight-changing power, making opponents leery of engaging him.

That's borne out in the stats. A look at Compustrike numbers show that in standing arm strikes, Jackson has out-landed opponents 49 percent to 29 percent over his eight UFC bouts. Now, why is that? Jackson is not a fighter than runs away. He's not super-elusive. But he's not a guy you want to stand too close to. Even if you miss your punch, at least he might not hit you back with a counter.




So where can Hamill attack? While he has heavy hands, most would agree that Jackson's are heavier, and faster. One place Jackson is quite susceptible is with kicks. Opponents land 67 percent while throwing three times as many kicks as he does. Problem? Hamill rarely throws kicks. In his 10 UFC fights, kicks make up just 7 percent of his standing strikes, a number far below the average of top-level fighters. Even Jackson, who many consider boxing-heavy, throws kicks 11.5 percent of the time.

Where else can Hamill win? Everyone knows about his wrestling background, and he's connected on 71 percent of his takedown tries during his UFC career, a very good number. But Jackson is going to be no easy target. His opponents are only successful 36 percent of the time.

That leaves limited options for Hamill. If the fight stays standing, Jackson will likely have the edge. Hamill has said he plans to employ his wrestling and test Jackson's defense, and that seems to be the right plan, because even if he doesn't take the fight down, he can force Jackson into a physical fight and hope that his conditioning lets him take over late. If he does get him down, he might be able to control him and grind out some points. Jackson has been so durable over his career that it seems unlikely Hamill will stop him.

The reverse does not seem so unlikely. Hamill was in serious danger of being stopped by Jon Jones before a disqualification cost Jones the match. He was also stopped by Rich Franklin, though that fight was nearly three years ago. Of course, past performance is no indicator of future success, but it's all that we have to go on as far as projecting what may happen. Hamill says he's bringing his full game together at the right time, and it's certainly possible he will step up to the biggest moment of his career.

By most objective measures, though, Jackson should win. He is more experienced, is a sharper striker, has an excellent chin, and the takedown defense to keep Hamill upright. Jackson seems like he's in a good frame of mind, and I expect to see it reflected in his performance. Jackson via second-round TKO.

 

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Donington MotoGP tipping contest prizes

Great news! Enter the Donington round of the Tipping Contest to have a chance of winning a copy of Ring of Fire, The Inside Story of MotoGP by Rick Broadbent. Prizes will be awarded as follows: Top three scorers for the round (not overall) will win a copy of Ring of Fire. The top two scoring Minellas will [...]

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Rossi?s opinion of the Lorenzo negotiations

This quote comes from the Spanish language website elmundodeportivo.es. The message and the sentiment are clear: “You aren’t worth what I get paid Jorge”. From elmundodeportive.es, translation by Fans.Moto.GP (Thanks!): What Jorge is looking for seems presumptuous to me: Arrive at Yamaha, and in his second year ask that he be given the same treatment as me. [...]

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UFC 130 weigh-in: Mir and Nelson both weigh 260, ‘Rampage’ on point

UFC 130 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

  • Matt Hamill (205) vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (205)
  • Frank Mir (260) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
  • Travis Browne (247) vs. Stefan Struve (255)
  • Thiago Alves (170) vs. Rick Story (170)
  • Jorge Santiago (185) vs. Brian Stann (186)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

  • Demetrious Johnson (135.5) vs. Miguel Torres (135.5)
  • Tim Boetsch (186) vs. Kendall Grove (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook.com)

  • Rafaello Oliveira (155) vs. Gleison Tibau (155)
  • Chris Cariaso (135) vs. Michael McDonald (136)
  • Renan Barao (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)

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