Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson has been reflecting on his 2011 fight against Jon Jones, where he came up short in his bid for the light heavyweight title at UFC 135. Jones won the fight with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, but now, 13 years later, Jackson admits he didn’t take the fight as seriously as he should have.
Looking back, Rampage believes he made some mistakes in his preparation and mindset, and he’s eager for a rematch with Jones to right those wrongs and prove he can deliver a better performance.
Rampage shared his thoughts on what he did wrong and what he would have changed in a recent sit-down interview with Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo.
“I wanna get Jon Jones back because I think Jon Jones is the best fighter in the world. And when I fought him, I did not know he was the best fighter in the world. At that point in my career I had never lost a fight with me being in really good shape. I was like oh this kid ain’t going to beat me. If I fought him again, I would probably come out in swim goggles.”
Jackson went on to add that he would have taken the fight more seriously which meant he would be more nervous going into it.
He also stated that he would have knocked out the referee in charge of the fight as he did not pay any attention to the multiple eye pokes Jones inflicted over the course of the fight, something ‘Bones’ is notorious for doing.
Meanwhile, as Jackson reminisces on his mistakes, Jones is getting ready to defend his heavyweight title.
Jones gets a big boost ahead of UFC 309
The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) recently made some big updates to the Unified Rules for MMA, including the legalization of 12-6 elbows and a clearer definition of what counts as a grounded fighter. But these changes won’t kick in until local regulatory bodies approve them.
Luckily for UFC fans, the New York State Athletic Commission is already on board, just in time for UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” on Nov. 16, 2024, at Madison Square Garden.
Jon Jones famously used 12-6 elbows during his 2009 fight against Matt Hamill, which led to a controversial disqualification. Now, with the rule change, Jones is hoping that disqualification might be wiped from the record.
“Undefeated then, undefeated now,” Jones said.
Dana White chimed in, too, doubling down on his claim that Jon Jones is the best fighter ever, saying, “It’s undebatable. Jon Jones is the baddest dude to ever walk the face of the Earth in combat sports.”
No one asked him. The question was probably about cereals or something!
