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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is a former Pride superstar, a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and a 40-fight veteran of the sport. It would be easy for him to not take an opponent the likes of Matt Hamill seriously into their UFC 130 main event fight, and that's precisely what Hamill believed Jackson would do, and that overlooking of him would then allow him to surprise the former champ on May 28.
However, after Hamill expressed that sentiment in an interview, even saying he planned on breaking Jackson's will, Rampage said this week that it served as extra motivation to make sure that didn't happen.
"I think Matt made a mistake when he actually said he's going to break my will, and that I'm going to overlook him," Jackson said during a media conference call on Thursday to promote the event.
"That kind of lit a fire under my ass and actually made me train harder to make sure I don't overlook him and to make sure I outclass him."
Jackson commented recently that the fight with Hamill didn't excite him when it was first brought to his attention, but he clarified his comments during the call to make it clear that the simple concept of fighting isn't exciting for him.
"That's a big misconception," Jackson said. "If [MMA fans] really get to know me, I'm not really excited about anybody I fight. It's my job to me; it's my career. I don't get excited no more. I've got almost 40 fights. I don't get excited about anybody I fight. I just go in and do it."
The job aspect of fighting has Jackson targeting an exit from the sport in two years at 35, an age which he's said for a long time he wants to retire. But he doesn't understand the backlash against him for looking ahead to acting and getting out of fighting, and ultimately he doesn't care.
"You can't fight until you're 60," he said. "If anyone is smart they'll want to have an exit plan from any contact sport... That stuff don't bother me at all what they say or what they think."
"It's my life, it's my family I take care of, and I have my goals and my plans, things I'm going to do to make me happy. That's all I really care about, me and my family. The fans I'm just here to entertain them, but do I care about them the way I do my family? Hell no."
The two will meet in the main event of UFC 130, coming live to pay-per-view on Saturday, May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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