UFC
UFC 144's "Rampage" Jackson says he may have retired had he defeated Jon Jones at UFC 135
Feb 11, 2012 - 11:30:02 PM UFC 144's "Rampage" Jackson says he may have retired had he defeated Jon Jones at UFC 135

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has made it no secret in the last few years that his fighting career has continued on for primarily monetary reasons, so it's no surprise that he was making serious considerations on retiring prior to his bout with Jon Jones last September.

In a new interview with Fighter's Only, Jackson revealed that he was hoping to capture the belt from Jones, then defend it in Japan, at which point he would have stepped away.

"To retire as UFC champion and to have defended the belt in Japan? Oh man, that would have been perfect," Jackson said. "Believe me I still want to retire as champion. I want to hold the belt once more. I guess if I had won that Jon Jones fight and if the Japan show wasn't next then there'd have been a very good chance I would have retired already."

"It would have been a great time to bow out [had I won the belt]. But I almost certainly would have stayed around to fight in Japan anyway, to defend the belt. Then if I would have successfully defended it on this [UFC 144] show, I definitely would be retiring - and retiring a very happy man too!"

For now, Jackson will soldier on, taking on Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan, his first bout in the Land of the Rising Sun in six years. A victory there will keep him going as he hopes to make one more run at the title.

Penick's Analysis: It would have been the perfect way for Rampage to ride out into the sunset, but it didn't work out that way for him. Who knows how many fights he has left in him, but if he's serious about trying to make one more run at the belt it'll be at least a few more. His heart hasn't been in fighting in quite some time, but maybe this event in Japan will provide a jolt in him to keep him going further.

[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]