Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's Guide to Coaching

Going into Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, anyone who had been following the UFC for the last few years knew that having former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as one of the coaches would make for good television.

One of the most charismatic fighters around, "Rampage" is a goldmine for solid soundbytes and comedic moments, while pairing him with heated rival "Suga" Rashad Evans was sure to produce more than enough heated head-to-head gum-bumping opportunities.

However, this isn't The Rampage Jackson Show; this is The Ultimate Fighter and Jackson is one of the coaches, not a character on Spike's first attempt at a sitcom. After Wednesday's fourth episode, all that can be said is, "I pity the fool that has to be coached by Rampage! I pity the fool! I do!"

In truth, no one should be shocked that Team Rashad has won all four fights to this point, and not just because Team Rampage was put together by selecting the biggest guys, regardless of skills.

When Jackson stood opposite Forrest Griffin as a coach on Season 7, Team Forrest sent six of eight fighters to the quarterfinals, had three of four semifinal competitors and both of the originally slated fighters for the finals, Jesse Taylor and eventual winner Amir Sadollah.

Even during his first run on the show, the bulk of the attention Rampage received was for his poor handling of loses, constant trash talk of Griffin and those quality soliloquies everyone expected.

Notice his strength as a coach in helping his fighters improve and learn was not mentioned once.

Jump ahead to last night's episode and lessons from Quinton Jackson's Guide to Coaching continue in full force.

While Rampage is nowhere to be found, there is Ghosn, sitting on the sidelines after a training session, talking strategy with Demico Rogers, jokingly admonishing him for not exploding the fist pound. You've gotta blow it up...

At this point, it should be noted that up to this point in the season, Tiki has been the one doing the bulk of the coaching, while 'Page hangs over the cage, occasionally adding his two sense and getting his head shaved to resemble Kimbo.

These lessons come from the chapter entitled, "Be Their Friend, Not Their Coach." The subtitle for said chapter is, of course, "Besides, Tiki's Got This."

Fight day rolls around and there is Rogers, sitting in the training room, surrounded by his teammates and co... oh that's right, Rampage and the rest of the coaching staff needed to roll out and get food.

Coaching can certainly be a complex occupation with a lot of difficult decision, but is remaining with your fighter heading into the biggest fight of his life really one of those, "Should I Stay or Should I Go Now" moments The Clash was talking about?

Upon his return, Rampage offers up an instant apology, acknowledging that he or one of the other coaches should have stayed behind with Rogers. Too bad that understanding comes a few pages after the chapter, "Your Fighter is Fine and You Need to Eat."

The next great moment in the Coaching Clinic put on by Jackson came when Rogers was submitted via Anaconda choke in the first round. Here's a young fighter you're supposed to be helping, laying in the ring after suffering a tough loss and what does Coach Rampage do?

Nothing.

It's Team Rashad that comes to console the dejected Demico. Both Evans and coach Trevor Wittman come to offer support to the young fighter who knows a golden opportunity has passed him by, while Rampage sits on his stool, pondering how his fighter lost and tapped to an Anaconda choke.

He even hesitated at giving up the damn stool when Tiki wanted to bring it into the ring for Rogers, with Rampage saying he didn't feel Rogers needed the stool since the fight didn't even make it out of the first round.

These crucial coaching strategies can be found on page 197, in the chapter "If You Lose, I Ain't Helping."

Down 0-4 and obviously dejected, a frustrated Rampage calls an immediate coaches meeting.

The decision: we have to focus on fundamentals with these guys because they aren't at the same level of experience and talent that the veteran fighters and coaching standing in the room.

I would title this chapter, "You Don't Effin' Say?"

You can find your own copy of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's Guide to Coaching in the $2 Discount bin at your local bookstore.

Pick up a copy today... and do the exact opposite.






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Shouldn't You Be Thinking About Beating the Mustache Off Don Frye?

Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is one of the brighter prospects in all of Mixed Martial Arts. I'm actually pretty annoyed with myself that I overlooked him when putting together my Top 10 Prospects list a couple weeks back.

The former Division II American Folkstyle wrestling champion has quickly made a name for himself in Japan, earning four straight wins and endearing himself to fans with his colorful entrances, complete with a crown, cape and entourage of women.

Despite an upcoming bout with UFC veteran and champion mustache-wearer Don Frye, Lawal has recently been making news for a growing war of worlds with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Two things jump to mind in wading through all the verbal sparring that is currently taking place:

1) There ain't a better shit-talker in the game than Rampage.

2) While it's not 1996 and Don Frye may be old, him and his mustache could still pull off an upset if you aren't paying attention.

The funniest part of all this is Lawal's recent retort on The Underground to a shot Rampage delivered via his blog on Fighthype:

Dont worry about me.....You need to focus on Rashad Evans. I aint gon waste no time with your ignorance. Keep on puttin on your routine and your corny over used punchlines....Our time for battle will come...You have your hands full with the former champ....I aint tryna be known for arguin with you. I feel bad for you cuz you playin yourself....You'll see what Im talkin bout when your career end. Its a shame.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking King Mo should be the one focusing on the present.

After all, he's fighting in less than a month and the former Pride and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion with 37 career fights has nearly two months before he has to lock'em up with Rashad.

And really, should a guy whose biggest win is over Travis Wiuff honestly be trying to talk shit with a guy whose resume includes wins over Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson to name but three?

Yeah, Rampage didn't think so either ... enjoy the clip!



Shout out to my man Kelvin Hunt from MMA4Real for reminding me about this entertaining and continuing storyline.


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Be Here Tomorrow...

As mentioned way back in May, we're going to celebrate UFC 100 by counting down the 100 Greatest Fighters in UFC History and it starts tomorrow.

The UFC 100 will be comprised of our selections as the top 100 fighters to work under the UFC banner. While many of the names to be featured on the list have had success outside of the UFC, we're only dealing with their records inside a the Octagon.

So, that means Wanderlei Silva's dominance in Pride is worth a wooden nickel and his 2-5 UFC record is what we'll be considering. Of course, the five losses "The Axe Murderer" has suffered with the UFC came at the hands of Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Rampage and Rich Franklin, so that has to be considered too.

See how much fun this is going to be?

Each day, we'll roll out 10 fighters, working our way from #100 until we get to #1, a fighter who will receive a full post all his own on Saturday, July 11th.

And don't worry - we're still going to be delivering the same Fight Week Previews that we've done thus far, complete with another round of Punch Drunk Predictions.

But now I have to go. I just realized how much work I have to do in the next couple weeks...

I hope you enjoy it.





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Don't Go Building the Statues Just Yet

Yes, his win at UFC 98 was dominant and very impressive.

Yes, his style is very hard to attack and equally hard to defend.

Yes, he is undefeated and has beaten some great fighters.

But the last two of those were true before he put Rashad Evans to sleep on Saturday night and no one - literally no one - was putting Lyoto Machida in the rarefied air alongside Fedor and Anderson Silva before that fight, so why all the adoration now?

Simple - everyone wants to be backing the best horse. Now that Machida has proven to be "The Man" at 205 in the UFC and Dana White has commented that we might have just entered "The Machida Era," everyone wants to be Supporter #1 and put the Brazilian on a pedestal with some of the best ever... and it drives me insane!

This isn't sour grapes from a guy who picked Evans either; my first piece following the fight was full of high praise for "The Dragon" and I too believe he could go on a dominant run. But shouldn't we let him get through that first title defense before we go building monuments in his honour?

After all, that first defense has been a killer in recent memory.

It's the only successful defense Rampage made, Forrest Griffin couldn't get through it and neither could "Sugar" Rashad. It's a whole new world with a belt around your waist and everyone trains that much harder to take it away from you. That's why you'll hear everyone say you're not a true champion until you've defended your belt.

Not to take anything away from Griffin or Evans, but I stand by that 100%.

Machida hasn't even had enough time to fully comprehend the scope of what happened Saturday night - title, spotlight, fame, money, opportunities - and people have him going on an unbeaten run through the division.

The beauty of guys like Fedor and Anderson Silva is that we've witnessed seen them dominant in their divisions and nothing can change what happened. It's historical fact and extremely rare.

Why don't we let Lyoto Machida get a fight or two under his brand new belt before putting him in such illustrious company?

And if he does lose his first time out, be sure not to throw him under the bus unless you're going with him.
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Enter The Dragon

Lyoto Machida might be the best fighter walking the planet at this very moment.

Better than Anderson Silva, better than Fedor and better than GSP.

"The Dragon" is indescribable.

There is no question that I got last night's result wrong; in fact, I got a lot of last night's results wrong, going 4-7 on my predictions, though many other forecasters had similarly slow nights.

For well over a year, I believed that someone would figure out the style of Lyoto Machida, find a hole in the fluid strikes and expert timing. I thought Thiago Silva's punching power and ruthless aggression would swarm the Brazilian karate master. That theory got knocked out at the end of the first round.

Now it was Rashad Evans' turn. With Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in his corner and a long list of ultra-talented training partners, surely the man who knocked out Chuck Liddell with an explosive counter-punch with the shiny belt around his waist would find a formula that worked.

No dice.

Machida won every round. That is to say, he won the first round and didn't need a judge's scorecard after that. A destructive left hook sealed Rashad Evans' fate and put the UFC Light Heavyweight title around the waist of "The Dragon".

Get used to it.

Get used to Machida vaulting up Pound-for-Pound lists, including here when the next installment comes out in June.

Get used to the UFC showcasing Machida in a way few fighters have been showcased before.

Get used to him wearing that belt because it'll be at least 10 months before he defends it and when he does, it'll be going back around his waist. Sorry, Rampage.

Lyoto Machida is a different kind of fighter. In truth, he is the most impressive Mixed Martial Artist on the planet today, a rare breed of lethal strikes and offense, coupled with impenetrable defense and greater elusiveness than a greased pig.

So far, no one has figured out how to hit him and when they try, they catch a stiff left in the mouth. Or a intestine-rattling body kick. Or they look like Tito Ortiz when he swung and missed and nearly fell over during their fight two years ago.

Remember that legendary run Matt Hughes went on in the welterweight division? Get ready for the Light Heavyweight version.

As much as I didn't want to see it happen, now that we're here, I have no problems with bowing down to the master and proclaiming this The Lyoto Machida Era.

Enter the Dragon.
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Hype Is Not Enough

Give Dana White and the boys at the UFC credit. They're doing everything they can to make UFC 98 seem like an event that everyone who loves the sport should be amped to see. Unfortunately, I don't think that is the case.

Title fights featuring two undefeated competitors don't come around all that often, yet this one still doesn't hold my interest. How can the UFC expect fans to get behind Lyoto Machida as a great fighter when it was only through an injury to Rampage Jackson that he landed this title shot in the first place?

Outside of his fight with Thiago Silva, most Machida matches are technically sound, excitement-lacking events where he picks an opponent apart without taking any damage. From a fundamental standpoint, he's outstanding, but I don't pay $50 for a display of sound fundamentals. It's the same reason I can acknowledge Tim Duncan's greatness but wouldn't pay a dime to watch him up close.

Then you have the long overdue Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra grudge match. I think there are three words that accurately sum up the feelings of many MMA fans on this one: We Don't Care. It would have been interesting if it happened following Season 6 of TUF like it was supposed to, but we're more than a year removed and neither has done anything of note to make me want to watch. Sure, Hughes is a legend and a Hall of Famer, but his days of dominance are done and Serra is around solely because he knocked GSP out a couple years back.

Normally, the undercard is stacked with fights that I actually want to see, sometimes more than the big name bouts. This time, not so much.

Outside of Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar, I can't say there is much I'm looking forward to. Chael Sonnen against Dan Miller will be a good tilt, but not one I want to pay to see and watching Drew McFedries inside the Octagon only makes me angry, seeing as he's still employed by the UFC while Canucks Jason McDonald and David Loiseau received their pink slips.

There is also rumblings that the winner of the Evans-Machida tilt might end up as a coach on Season 10 of TUF opposite #1 Light Heavyweight contender Rampage Jackson. While the show is certainly a great catalyst for building interest in a fighter and upcoming fights, we've seen Rampage as a coach and while Evans could surprise a few people, Machida doesn't strike me as the guy you want on camera for an extended period of time.

It's been a long time since there was a UFC card that didn't capture my attention. Now there are two in a row, as UFC 99 in Germany does nothing for me either.

Basically, I'm counting down the days until UFC 100.

65 to go...

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No Other Options

Dana White and the UFC hype machine painted themselves into a corner and the only foreseeable way out was to put together a fight that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

What do you do with a fighter you promote as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world when he seems to be uninterested in fighting to the best of his abilities? You give him his second fight at light heavyweight and make it against a fan favorite and former champion.

And so, Anderson Silva versus Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 was born.

Silva has been completely underwhelming in wins over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, but what purpose does a move to 205 serve? Should he win, what comes next? The light heavyweight title picture is already a crowded affair and adding Anderson Silva to the mix only muddies the waters more.

Regardless of who wins the upcoming Rashad Evans/Lyoto Machida title fight, the loser doesn't fall into oblivion, as it will be the first loss for either competitor. Machida would have to work his way into another shot should he lose, but Evans would be, at most, two fights away from another shot at the strap. Of course, that logic brings Rampage Jackson into the question.

Since losing the title to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, Rampage has disposed of top tier contenders Wanderlei Silva and Keith Jardine, giving him a valid claim to the #1 contender spot. But what of the original Ultimate Fighter?

Griffin falls into the same former champion lineage as Jackson, with this fight against Silva being his first since dropping the light heavyweight title to Evans at Ultimate 2008. Beating the "best pound-for-pound fighter in the world" would certainly make Griffin #1-A in the title picture, potentially setting up an outstanding rematch with Rampage.

Where would that leave Silva though? A loss removes all serious interest in Anderson Silva fighting at 205, as he would fall behind the aforementioned contenders and be faced with the prospect of fights with the likes of Keith Jardine and Rich Franklin. Sure, he's still got the middleweight belt, but he's cleaned out the division and seems bored fighting at 185.

That being said, Silva's destruction of James Irvin was impressive enough to merit the step up in competition and if the Anderson Silva who tore through the middleweight division shows up inside the cage, there is no reason to believe another win at 205 would be far behind.

Two wins, including one over a former champion, and a lot of name recognition seems like it would be enough to put "The Spider" into the title picture. Except that there is no way he would ever fight Lyoto Machida, should "The Dragon" defeat Evans later this month.

He'd have beaten a legitimate title contender and have no where to go, except into another fight that would only further muddle the murky light heavyweight title picture or back down to 185 where he seems to have no interest in putting on a good fight.

While this is certainly a fight that fans - myself included - are very excited to see, no matter how it plays out, the UFC is left with far more questions than answers and that is never a good thing. Continue reading...