Delay doesn’t dampen UFC feud
A five-month delay in the heavily anticipated fight between Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has done little to ease the hostility between the former light heavyweight champions.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White hopes the lengthy wait will also have little effect on fan interest in the bout, finally set to take place as the main event of UFC 114 on Saturday at the MGM Grand.
The organization threw its promotional power fully behind the matchup, originally scheduled for Dec. 12 in Jackson’s hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
The two combatants clashed as coaches on the most contentious season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, with their constant bickering serving as a weekly commercial for their scheduled fight.
Jackson’s performance might have been too good.
Hollywood came calling, and the 31-year-old was cast as B.A. Baracus in the big-screen version of “The A-Team,” scheduled to be released June 11. Filming on the movie kept Jackson from training, prompting him to drop out of the fight that the organization had spent months hyping.
The situation created a rift between Jackson and White, causing Jackson to temporarily declare his split from the UFC.
“Me and Rampage had a couple of phone calls where we (argued) like him and Rashad,” White said jokingly. “I like Rampage. I always have. We were just pissed off at each other.”
White said the dispute has been resolved, largely because of the anticipated success of Jackson’s first big-budget film and the fact the fight is still creating a buzz.
“It all did work out OK. It was a huge blow with the first fight being in Memphis, but Quinton actually did a real movie. It’s going to be a huge hit, and from what I hear, he did really well in it,” White said. “So, he got to do a great movie. The fight is still happening. There’s still a lot of buildup, and people want to see this fight really bad.”
In fact, White hopes the layoff might have boosted interest in the matchup.
“Do I think it would have been huge right after ‘The Ultimate Fighter?’ Yeah, I do. It’s hard to say if (the layoff) helped, but I don’t think it hurt,” White said. “We still have a big fight.”
Jackson has not fought since defeating Keith Jardine in March 2009 because of a jaw injury and filming the reality show and movie. He thinks the layoff might have helped him physically.
“It’s no secret that I sustained a lot of injuries because I fought a couple of fights back to back,” he said. “My back was kind of worn out from that. I’m actually glad I took time off. I needed that.”
Jackson said he doesn’t mind being thrown in with another former champion in his return fight. He sees Evans as a steppingstone toward regaining the belt he lost to Forrest Griffin in July 2008.
“This is a tuneup fight,” Jackson said. “He has done nothing compared to what I have done.”
Not surprisingly, Evans didn’t offer a glowing review of Jackson’s skills, either.
“The Quinton of old as a fighter was always evolving,” he said. “I think now he’s like (Mike) Tyson when Tyson got a little older and just relied on his power. I haven’t seen him develop too much in his last few fights.”
Evans said he hopes to take advantage of the fact that he has competed twice since Jackson last appeared in the octagon.
The winner of the bout has been promised an immediate shot at the title, held by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
So only Evans, or filming a sequel, stands in the way of Jackson again reaching the top of the 205-pound division.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.
