Newly motivated Rampage more ready than ever
It’s Back to Business for Rampage Jackson The charismatic former UFC light heavyweight champion took time off last year to…
It’s Back to Business for Rampage Jackson
The charismatic former UFC light heavyweight champion took time off last year to film the new A-Team movie, which hits theaters on June 11. The role of B.A. Baracus was a lifelong dream for Jackson, who grew up watching the show with his father, and he couldn’t force himself to turn the part down. It also represented a chance to venture outside the realm of mixed martial arts, and that appealed to Jackson on many levels.
The film role meant that Jackson couldn’t face Rashad Evans in a bout that had become, over the course of season ten of The Ultimate Fighter, the most anticipated grudge match in UFC history. Jackson’s decision angered Dana White and caused a temporary rift in their relationship, but it didn’t deter Jackson from moving forward with the film role.
Now, with filming completed, Jackson says he’s all business. I already forgot I did a damn movie. It’s got nothing to do with this fight, Jackson says. A fight is different than a movie. The movie ended a long time ago, and I’ve been training ever since I got off the set. I don’t think about the movie. I’m thinking about this fight.
For a time, it appeared as though Jackson’s fighting days were through. During his public quarrel with White and the UFC, Jackson swore he’d retired and would never fight again. He eventually changed his mind, as most fighters do, and it was the possibility of fighting Evans that drove him back to training. Six weeks spent with Evans on The Ultimate Fighter set was all the fuel Jackson — a fighter notoriously lazy during training camps — needed to get back in the gym, to work harder than he’d ever worked before.
