Save for a late fight flurry that ultimately fell short of securing victory, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was wholly and decisively beaten by Rashad Evans at UFC 114, who used a combination of superior wrestling, better endurance and more impressive speed to score a unanimous decision victory Saturday.
Acknowledging the effectiveness of Evans’ game plan, “Rampage” was nonetheless quick to emphasize the role ring rust played in hindering his performance in the fight.
Referencing Evans’ pre-fight trash talk about the likelihood that he would be rusty going into the fight, Jackson confirmed, “I felt it.” He added, “I’m ashamed of myself that I fell victim to ring rust.”
Though Jackson was not positive the outcome would have been different, he argued, “maybe I would have done a lot better” if he not been away from the Octagon for so long. Saturday’s event marked Jackson’s first fight since his UFC 96 battle with Keith Jardine in March of 2009.
Regarding Evans’ display, though “Rampage” was willing to tip his hat to his rival (“He had a great game plan and it worked well for him…I’m not a sore loser”), he was not willing to take back everything he said in the pre-fight hype.
Specifically, Jackson maintained “I still feel like I’m on another level [from Rashad Evans].” He also joked, “He can still kiss my black ass.”
Further, while he admitted that Evans was a great athlete and “stronger” and “faster” than he expected, he also questioned whether Saturday’s bout did anything to establish Evans as a better fighter than he expected.
“That was more of a wrestling match than a fight,” explained Rampage.
