UFC
UFC NEWS: "Rampage" Jackson says UFC 123 main event with Lyoto Machida was almost canceled the week of the fight
Nov 21, 2010 - 3:30:24 PM UFC NEWS: "Rampage" Jackson says UFC 123 main event with Lyoto Machida was almost canceled the week of the fight

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Quinton Jackson almost didn't make it to UFC 123.

"Rampage" said after his split decision victory over Lyoto Machida on Saturday night that he was nearly forced to withdraw from the fight.

"None of you guys know this, but this fight was almost canceled a few days ago because I caught a fever from my son and was throwing up and everything and had to cut weight," he said at the post fight press conference. "I was like, 'I almost didn't make it to the fight.' But I didn't want to let my fans down. I really wanted to come in and do everything I had and give it my all since Detroit was so pumped for this fight."

"Rampage" pulled off the split decision victory in the fight, winning the first two rounds on two of the judge's scorecards. He entered the arena to classic Pride music, and the theme of the night for him was trying to return to the fighter he was during his days fighting in the Japanese organization.

"Everyone knew me and loved me [in Pride]," Jackson said. "I used to fight for honor and respect. Now I come to the UFC, and I make way more money than I did in Pride, so I got a little greedy and fighting for the dollars and stuff. So I wanted to come out to Pride [music] and get that old Pride spirit. I felt like some of it kind of came back. I even tried to slam Machida."

Heading into the event, Jackson spent a lot of time in interviews talking about how much he was bored by Machida's style of fighting. After spending 15 minutes in the cage with "The Dragon," Jackson came away with a newfound respect for Machida, even if he still doesn't like his style.

"It's different fighting Machida than watching Machida," he said. "I have more respect for his style. I wish I could move like that. I have more respect for his style, but I still don't want to watch it."

Penick's Analysis: Rampage didn't quite succeed in reverting to Pride mode, but he did do a better job of dealing with Machida than most, and it allowed him to win that fight. He obviously had his excuse ready to go for if he had lost with the illness, but he didn't need to pull it out with the win. Perhaps he wanted to explain away any questions on his performance in the fight. But it was a good enough fight for him overall, and he keeps himself relevant in the light heavyweight division.

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