Rampage Wants Return to Pride Days

Many of Quinton Jackson’s best wins took place in the Pride Fighting Championships.

The Japan-based organization, which held its last event in April 2007, also promoted some of his toughest losses. Still, when “Rampage” fights Lyoto Machida on Nov. 20 in the UFC 123 main event, he wants to fight like he did in Pride.

“This fight right here has nothing to do with money,” Jackson said during a recent interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time” show with Bruce Buffer. “This fight right here is all about honor and respect. Since I’ve been in the UFC, I have been all about money because quite honestly, I’ve made more money in the UFC than I ever did in other shows. It’s really easy to get beside yourself and be all about the money, all about the money. But I remember back in my Pride days, I used to just go and fight for honor. … I want to go back to my old Pride days when I used to fight to put on a show.”

Jackson has had plenty of success in the Octagon too. In his second UFC bout, he stopped Chuck Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight title. He also defended that belt against Dan Henderson and later knocked out Wanderlei Silva, who had beaten him twice in Pride.

His two UFC losses came to Forrest Griffin and, most recently, Rashad Evans. The Evans defeat was a bitter one that Jackson blames at least partially on taking an acting role in “The A-Team.”

“I’ve noticed that I can’t compete at both -- I can’t do movies, like five-, six-month long movies and compete at the top of the UFC,” Jackson said. “I proved to myself that I can’t do both at the same time. I think that was one of the main reasons that I lost my last fight.”

For now Jackson is choosing to focus on fighting over acting.

“I’m coming off a loss, and I’m really disappointed in my last performance and my last fight, but I know why I lost my last fight,” he said. “This time, I’m just going to go out there and give it my 100 percent, give it my best. If I win this time, I’m going to be really proud of myself. If I don’t pull it off this time, I’m not going to be as disappointed in myself as I was the last time. Last time I couldn’t give it my all because I had so many obstacles to go through.”

Jackson has tried to eliminate those obstacles this time around. Of course one major barrier to victory remains: Machida himself. Also a former UFC light heavyweight champion, Machida will be trying to bounce back from a May title loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. His patient, precision-punching counter game could give Rampage trouble.

“Much respect to him as a person,” Jackson said. “As a fighter, I really don’t like his fighting style. If anybody knows about me, as soon as I get in the Octagon, I come to fight. I really don’t like people who fight in [Machida’s] manner. How are you going to fight somebody from a distance? That is one of the things I’ve been working on a lot: not fighting his fight. I’m going to fight my fight. I don’t care what Machida does or what he thinks he’s going to do. It’s all about what I’m going to do.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 36:45) with Jackson, who also discussed the various stages he’s gone through in his career and why he needs to combine them against Machida.