Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was adamant that the UFC on FOX 6 bout against Glover Teixeira would be his last fight in the UFC.
He lost the fight via unanimous decision, but was not given a post-fight interview opportunity with Joe Rogan, so Jackson did a candid 45 minute interview with Karyn Bryant that you can check out here. He talks about a variety of things in the video, but he does leave the door open for a UFC return. When Bryant said that the UFC communicated that they have not closed the door on him, Jackson responded with the following answer:
I’ve closed the door on them. UFC would have to do a lot of things for me to even consider coming back. The UFC would have to do a lot of things for me to even CONSIDER coming back. It has nothing to do with money, so Dana can chunk out there how much money he made me..and how many cars he gave me…all this stuff. Dana plays up to the fans because he knows the fans are fan boys.
It’s a smart play by Jackson who probably has limited options when it comes to MMA. He could potentially fight for Bellator, but could he handle the quick turnaround times and frequency of fighting in their tournaments? He spends a large amount of time in the interview referring to all the injuries he has had and how they have affected his body and performances in the cage.
The statement makes it appear that he would go back to the UFC, but only on his own terms.
For example, six months from now he could re-sign with the UFC and tell the media that the UFC is treating him well at that point. It would be as simple as that and he wouldn’t appear to have contradicting himself regarding the UFC on FOX 6 bout being his last UFC fight.
I ultimately think Jackson will either return to the UFC, or he’ll never fight in MMA again. It’s clear the injuries have taken their toll and he has been in a lot of wars of the years as he said in the interview. He has lost his last three bouts and has virtually no leverage when it comes to negotiating a contract similar to what he was making in the UFC. He’s says that money isn’t the most important thing, but I’m sure he wouldn’t want to take a huge cut in salary either to continue putting his body through the rigors of training.
Stay tuned to ProMMAnow (www.prommanow.com) for all updates regarding Jackson’s next move.