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Following their tenure as coaches on the Ultimate Fighter, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest Griffin will square off at UFC 86 for MMA's most prestigious title: the UFC light heavyweight crown. Given the depth of the division, a win or a loss could have major repercussions for either fighter's career.
Jackson joined the UFC in 2007, winning three fights and capturing the light heavyweight title. However, his last fight was in September and he will have had ten months off by the time he enters the Octagon to face Griffin. That layoff may create problems for Jackson, but he considers it a positive.
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"I needed that layoff," Jackson says. "I had three hard training camps last year." In order to get himself into peak shape, he spent seven weeks in high altitude training at Big Bear rather than his usual five. He also brought up a number of fighters from the Ultimate Fighter show to train with him, including Jeremy May, Mike Dolce and Gerald Harris.
The light heavyweight champion's game has evolved over time. During his time in the Pride Fighting Championships, Jackson relied more on his vicious slams, and ground and pound. But in recent years, he has come to depend more on his standup with help from trainer Juanito Ibarra.
Jackson views himself as a greatly improved fighter. "I was pretending back in the day," Jackson asserts. "Now I'm getting serious about fighting."
Rampage attributes this improvement in part to the fact his game has become more well-rounded. He is content to stand and bang, but he doesn't have to. "I feel like I can fight anywhere," he says. "If I want to take him down and use some ground and pound I'll do it. I don't plan to keep this fight any one place."
The fight with Jackson for the title will be the biggest fight of Forrest Griffin's career, but you wouldn't know it from talking with him. The low key and self-effacing Griffin always downplays his wins and his losses, and this fight is no exception.
Griffin's dedication to the sport and to winning is more apparent in his reactions following wins and losses than in any quotes he provides in interviews. "If you don't get mad about losing, you're in the wrong business," Griffin notes.
Figuring out a way to defeat Jackson will be a tough task for Griffin. One potential strength Griffin might have over Jackson is in conditioning. Griffin has tremendous cardio, and Jackson has at times shown weakness in that area.
Griffin, however, is skeptical as to how much of a weakness conditioning will be. "The one thing I thought I could exploit was his conditioning," Griffin notes. "But he went five rounds with a guy (Dan Henderson) that wears you out."
Jackson struggled in the clinch against Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, but Griffin notes those fights were years ago. "It's probably a lesson learned on his part," Griffin says. "He's actually used it pretty well since then."
Griffin earned a title shot with Jackson by submitting the highly regarded Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. It was considered an impressive victory by most, but Jackson downplays how big of a victory it actually was.
"I could tell Shogun wasn't the same guy who fought in Pride," Jackson says. "If Shogun was the same guy I fought I would have been more impressed."
Griffin acknowledges that Shogun had injuries going into the fight but jokingly says, "I still thought it was a good performance."
Griffin may have a tough task in front of him, but it's hard to count out a fighter that has shown tremendous heart and determination throughout his career. A victory at UFC 86 would complete his rise from reality show contender to world class champion, and if Jackson isn't taking him seriously it could be a long night for the light heavyweight champion.
Todd Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times, Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached at ToddMartin4L@aol.com.
