Tag: Bellator Japan

‘Rampage’ Jackson: Fedor fight ‘special moment in MMA history no matter what the naysayers say’

Quinton Jackson has a message for the naysayers who are criticizing his fight with Fedor Emelianenko.

TOKYO – [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] has a message for those criticizing his next fight.

Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) will close out the decade when he faces [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 237 main event at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Saturday night (Sunday locally).

Both have competed under the PRIDE banner in the past, but never crossed paths, and despite being in the latter years of their careers, “Rampage” guarantees that the fans are in for a show.

“This is a special moment in MMA history no matter what the naysayers say,” Jackson told MMA Junkie at media day a promoting the event. “The guys who are never going to do anything in their lives, the never-has-beens who want to say about two old guys getting in there  – the true MMA fans are going to win because there’s not going to be a loser. There’s not going to be a loser. No matter who gets their hand raised, there’s not going to be a loser because when two legends get in there, and do what they love, and put on a show, the fans win.”

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Emelianenko, who is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, was one of Jackson’s heroes growing up in the business. Despite having a large amount of respect for the Russian legend, “Rampage” said he knows that once the cage door closes, it’s all business.

“It’s been kind of hard for me to mentally prepare and get ready for this fight because you guys know how I like to knock people out, my team’s like, ‘Oh, you got to knock him out, you got to knock him out,’ and me being a big fan of Fedor, I’m thinking that’s the last thing he needs is to get knocked out right away and stuff like that, but none of that matters because when I get in that cage, ‘Rampage’ don’t have no friends. I don’t even like that mother (expletive). Nobody likes ‘Rampage,’ ‘Rampage’ don’t like nobody, so it don’t matter.”

The former UFC 205-pound champ has competed numerous times at heavyweight now but admits that Emelianenko may actually be the only opponent he’s seen to date that truly embodies that weight class.

“This is a good matchup because Fedor is the first true heavyweight that I’m ever going to face in my opinion,” Jackson said. “I don’t think I’ve ever faced a true heavyweight. I’m been fighting little-bitty guys who are faster than me and can out-wrestle me and all this and out-gameplan me, but Fedor is a true heavyweight, and I think it’s going to be a good test for me. I think he has speed, he has power and he’s not shy, and he’s good on the ground. He’s a very, very dangerous opponent, and I meet this challenge head on. I think that I do some things very well that makes this a good matchup for me against Fedor.”

Bellator 237 airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN. To hear much more from Jackson, check out the video above.

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‘Rampage’ Jackson never dreamed of Fedor Emelianenko fight. Now Bellator Japan awaits

“Who wants to fight their favorite fighter?”

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] knows not to underestimate [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], even at this stage of his career.

Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) takes on Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 237 main event at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, a sort-of throwback style fight. Both men were stars in the PRIDE era, but they never crossed paths.

And since both guys are known to put people away, “Rampage” is expecting fireworks Dec. 28.

“Fedor is very, very dangerous,” Jackson told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “Still very aggressive. Styles make fights, and I think the matchup between Fedor and I makes for a dangerous fight for either one of us. …

“Fedor is really, really good on the ground, and I like to think I have good defense against jiu-jitsu and all that stuff, so I don’t care where the fight goes. I just want an exciting fight.”

Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who competed at 205 pounds for most of his career, moved up to heavyweight to avoid draining himself in the latter years of his career.

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While he hasn’t exactly decided when he’ll walk away from the sport, Jackson says he certainly thinks about it a lot, but is happy he’ll get to compete in Japan again before it’s all said and done.

“Man, I’m 41. You don’t think … I think about it every time I get on the mat, every time I train. It’s all I can think about is my retirement,” Jackson said.

“It’s going to be like old times. I really do miss fighting (in Japan), and I was telling my coach like maybe a couple months ago, like man it would be nice to finish up my career fighting in Japan again. And he said yeah, that would be nice, fighting back there, so hopefully I can fight back there again.”

Fedor Emelianenko and “Rampage” Jackson face off ahead of their Bellator Japan fight. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

Jackson takes on one of the greatest fighters of all time in Emelianenko, but he admits that he wouldn’t have taken this fight under other circumstances.

“If it was in the (heavyweight grand prix), that was the only way they would have gotten me to fight him outside of Japan,” Jackson said. “I would have turned it down to be honest. Who wants to fight their favorite fighter?”

Fighting Emelianenko is something “Rampage” never really thought of, as when both guys were in PRIDE, they were competing in different weight classes.

“I never dreamed of fighting Fedor because back when we were both in PRIDE, I wasn’t a heavyweight, and I’m a big guy now. I’m a heavyweight now; he’s obviously still a heavyweight,” Jackson said. “I knew it was a matter of time that I was going to have to fight him as soon as I came to heavyweight, but I never thought about it.”

Nevertheless, the some 15 years later, here they are.

You can watch the full interview with “Rampage” in the video above.

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‘Rampage’ Jackson wants a boxing match before he retires – against anybody but Deontay Wilder

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson wants to compete in a boxing match before he retires against anyone but Deontay Wilder.

[autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] wants to lace up the boxing gloves at least once before calling it quits.

“Rampage” recently told TMZ Sports he’d be willing to box anyone except one man.

“I’ll fight anybody but Deontay Wilder – he’s too tall,” Jackson said. “Unless they’re giving me $100 million, I’ll fight him. I ain’t going to lie – I keep it real. I don’t like fighting tall guys with long reach. I tell you what, I’ll fight him if they give me $100 million, and we do one boxing match and one MMA match, I’ll fight him – $100 million.

“I’m keeping it real, I don’t like fighting long, tall dudes. I’ve got to take them down.”

Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA), who is scheduled to face Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator Japan next month, said he’s wanted to compete in a boxing match a long time before it became a popular thing for MMA fighters to do.

“I asked (UFC president) Dana White a long time ago, way before Conor McGregor even was around: ‘Let me do some boxing,'” Jackson said. “It wasn’t my time. There was nobody for me to fight. I still want to fight a boxing match before I retire. I’m fighting Dec. 29 in Japan. I still fight – I haven’t retired yet.”

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Bellator 237, Rizin FF 20 cards begin to fill out with multiple additions, including five crossover bouts

Multiple new additions have been added to December’s dual Bellator and Rizin FF cards in Japan, including five crossover contests.

Five additional fights have been added to the upcoming Bellator and Rizin FF joint cards being held in Saitama, Japan.

Bellator president Scott Coker shared the news of three crossover bouts that are headed to the Bellator 237 card at Saitama Super Arena, as well as two crossover bouts added to the Rizin FF 20 card also taking place at the same venue, two days later.

On the Bellator card, UFC veterans [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Keita Nakamura[/autotag] (35-10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will both make quick turnarounds and square off in a welterweight bout. Since dropping his first two promotional bouts with Bellator, Larkin has won his last three in a row, most recently picking up a split-decision win over Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 229. Nakamura made good in his Rizin debut, scoring a first round finish over Marcos Yoshio de Souza at Rizin FF 19.

Also headed to Bellator 237 is a women’s flyweight bout between [autotag]Ilara Joanne[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) and [autotag]Kana Watanabe[/autotag] (8-0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Joanne recently picked up the biggest win of her career, submitting UFC veteran Bec Rawlings in her Bellator debut last month. Joanne, who’s riding a three-fight winning streak, recently called out 125-pound champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, but instead draws Japan’s undefeated Watanabe.

The third bout added to Bellator 237 is a lightweight bout between [autotag]Goiti Yamauchi[/autotag] (24-4 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) and [autotag]Daron Cruickshank[/autotag] (22-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Yamauchi is coming off back-to-back wins that include a decision over Daniel Weichel and a first-round submission over Saad Awad at October’s Bellator 229. Cruickshank, has dropped his last two in a row to Damien Brown and Tofiq Musaev, and he now looks to get back in the win column.

Meanwhile, on the Dec. 31 Rizin card, two bouts will take place under the Japanese promotion’s ruleset. [autotag]Yuki Motoya[/autotag] (23-7) faces undefeated [autotag]Patrick Mix[/autotag] (12-0) in a bantamweight bout, while [autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] (11-1) will take on [autotag]John Macapa[/autotag] (23-42) in a featherweight clash.

Meanwhile, Rizin officials announced a series of post-lim bouts to take place at Bellator 237, which the Japanese promotion is calling “Bellator Japan powered by RIZIN.”

The matchups include [autotag]Andy Nguyen[/autotag] (6-8) vs. [autotag]Ai Shimizu[/autotag] (5-1), [autotag]Ryuichiro Sumimura[/autotag] (14-7) vs. [autotag]Jon Tuck[/autotag] (10-5), [autotag]Jarred Brooks[/autotag] (15-2) vs. [autotag]Haruo Ochi[/autotag] (19-7-2) and [autotag]Hiroto Uesako[/autotag] (16-8) vs. [autotag]Yusuke Yachi[/autotag] (20-9).