Eye Injury Before Fight? Rampage Jackson Confesses Bizarre Training Method for Jon Jones

UFC legend Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson talks about preparing for the Jon Jones fight in a peculiar way that led to injury.

Eye Injury Before Fight? Rampage Jackson Confesses Bizarre Training Method for Jon Jones

Rampage Jackson talks about fighting Jon Jones (via Imago)

Fighting Jon Jones has never been an easy task and nobody has beaten the GOAT candidate of mixed martial arts. The fighter has shared the octagon with light heavyweights from three different generations, including legends who defined eras of the sport. Among them was Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who was incredibly motivated to beat Jones and did everything possible to prepare for the bout.

Jackson is an MMA legend and has fought in different promotions such as Bellator, UFC, and Pride, earning a massive fan following. In a recent conversation on his show, The Jaxxon Podcast, he reflected on his UFC light heavyweight title fight with Jones. According to the veteran, he particularly trained for the eye pokes and wasn’t one hundred percent going into the fight.

I came into that fight with an eye poke injury because we was training for that shit. I fought a guy who’s known for eye poking. I was training for it. I was fighting for the belt. I train my a** off for that fight. That’s how confident I was that I was gonna win.

Jackson mentioned that by working with his tall training partner, he effectively prepared to counter Jones’s unique and unpredictable striking style. However, he failed to find a suitable grappling partner, which limited his ability to prepare for Jones’s elite wrestling skills. During the fight, Jones used reach and elbows to control distance, frustrating Jackson, who couldn’t close the gap effectively.

In the fourth round, Jones took Jackson down, advanced position, and submitted the former champion with a rear-naked choke. Following that bout, Jackson lost two more fights against Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira before leaving for Bellator. Since that fight, the veteran has often called Jones the dirtiest fighter he has ever fought due to the eye pokes.

Jackson has also highlighted Jones’ infamous oblique kicks and called for the move to be banned from MMA. Delivered to the thigh or just above the knee, this technique can hyperextend the leg and potentially cause long-term damage. Those kicks were the main reason for Jones’ former rival Thiago Santos had to go through several surgeries.

UFC veteran calls for Jon Jones to get stripped of the heavyweight title

Since becoming the UFC heavyweight champion in 2023 by beating Ciryl Gane, Jon Jones has only defended his belt once. He has frequently avoided the current UFC heavyweight interim champion, Tom Aspinall, which has now frustrated the fight fans. Aspinall recently broke the record of the longest-reigning interim champion in the history of UFC, something he’s not proud of at all.

Jon Jones to be stripped of the championship belt
Jon Jones to be stripped of the championship belt (via X)

Aspinall mentioned he has done everything needed and remains ready anytime, but the delay is from Jones’ side. Despite the delay and all the negotiation drama around the fight, Jones is currently enjoying Thailand and looks unconcerned. UFC veteran Robert Whittaker recently spoke on a podcast and shared his thoughts on strict actions against Jones.

I don’t know how Jones still holds the title. Like, I know I’ve mentioned when we first started speaking about this many moons ago, how I was like, ‘No one’s stripping Jones. You can’t do that to him.’ But mate, come on, you’re taking the piss now.

Jones recently went viral after speaking about being done with the sport, which has sparked many ongoing speculations. He also said he had already informed the UFC about his future, but they haven’t officially announced anything publicly just yet.

Aspinall clearly dislikes the current situation, feeling it’s wasting his prime years and dragging the process far too long. If it weren’t for Jones, the Brit would have had at least two more title fights. The UFC has to intervene at some point, earlier the better for Aspinall’s career.

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