Rampage: I Just Wanted To Show The World I’m Back
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson finds himself without an opponent after Tito Ortiz was forced out of their Bellator 106 main event on the promotion’s first-ever pay-per-view.
There’s no telling what would have come from the bout, but the card has now moved back to Spike TV and will now feature a lightweight title rematch between champion Michael Chandler and the returning Eddie Alvarez.
Right after the bombshell dropped earlier today, Karyn Bryant of MMA H.E.A.T. interview “Rampage” to get his take on the whole fiasco:
“I was a bit bummed when I heard Tito dropped out, but I was more concerned for his health. I know he had a lot of injuries, and I know that is, I’ve been coming off a couple injuries myself. It’ unfortunate when something happens like that.”
“Rampage” seems somber in his assessment of the situation. No word has come of what Jackson’s next move will be. He recently underwent surgery to repair his ravaged knees, and expressed his interest to show the world that he is back to full health:
“I did the same thing Kobe Bryant did to his knees. I was like, man, I need something like that. After I fought Jon Jones, my left knee was severely injured. I was like, if I don’t get these knees fixed, I’m going to retire. I just wanted to show the world I’m back.”
“Rampage” has since returned to training and will await his next opponent. He insists that he will stay in shape between fights and is ready right now. That remains to be seen, but he could find himself match up against Bellator 106’ “King Mo” vs. Emanuel Newton bout. Either matchup would be a hard-hitting slugfest if Jackson has truly returned to full health. “Rampage” proclaimed that he has his full set of abilities thanks to the treatment:
“I can do more than just punch. I haven’t been able to wrestle, haven’t been able to kick because I was in so much pain. I still would train, I still would fight, but I wouldn’t say nothing, so I took all this of backlash from the fans who didn’t I know I was in a tremendous amount of pain. Now I’m back to fighting like a mixed martial artist again instead of like a boxer.”
Check out “Rampage’s” full interview from today below:
