Rampage boxing with Rashad. Photo credit: Zuffa

Not only did UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones completely pick apart and dominate veteran Quinton “Rampage” Jackson last weekend at UFC 135, the champ may have just beaten Jackson right out of the sport.

While speaking with ESPN’s Gareth A. Davies following the fight, Jackson said he wants to go to boxing:

“I hate fighting people who are scared. Cause when you fight people who’s scared you never know what the person’s going to do. They turn and run like they crawl in on the cage. … That’s why I’m thinking about, man I want to go to boxing. I’m gonna try boxing because they’ve got to stand with you. If I get knocked out, so what, at least it’s a fight. I like boxing. Now since I’ve been training a lot of boxing I’ve fallen in love with boxing. I think I can go to boxing and put butts in seats over there.”

Jones did half-jokingly admit to being nervous about Jackson’s striking power at the post-fight press conference and said that was one reason he chose to come into the cage on all fours in hopes of setting up a takedown.

But let us be honest, that did not work, and Jones spent the next 18 minutes standing with Jackson. Did he stand stationary right in front of  him and poke out his chin for the Memphis “street soldier” to hit? Of course not. And Jackson is not going to find an opponent like that in boxing either (at least not legally).

Likely Jackson’s statement about going to boxing is nothing more than post-fight frustration. He already is, for the most part, a boxer. That is his biggest strength. Make no mistake though, he does have other skills and he uses them, even though they are primarily defensive, which is what allowed him to remain standing with Jones.

Jackson will still beat the majority of talent in MMA at 205 using his boxing-heavy style. If Jackson did go to boxing he would likely fight at heavyweight, so how do you think he would do against the likes of a James Toney or the Klitschko brothers? How about Kimbo Slice vs. “Rampage” Jackson?

5 thoughts on ““Rampage” Jackson: “I’m gonna try boxing””
  1. Rampage was not dominated i dont know what fight u were watching, the one i saw jones did not land one clean punch on him. rampage could have easily won several times but for some reason never capitolized on anything. This fight showed bones is not as good as people think he is

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