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Quinton Jackson is trying to snap a two-fight losing streak in his final fight in the UFC against Brazil's Glover Teixeira. Rampage came in five pounds overweight and looked sub-par against Ryan Bader in the co-main event of UFC 144 back in February. He's recently voiced his displeasure with the UFC and finds himself facing a potential contender in Teixeira this October in Rio de Janeiro, and the former UFC LHW champion is an early betting underdog. In an interview with Brazilian magazine Tatame, Rampage had this to say about his opponent:
"I haven’t seen Glover’s fights but I heard he’s really tough. I heard he got good stand-up and good Jiu-Jitsu. I’m looking forward to fight my opponents and it’s a good fight. This is my very last fight in UFC of my contract, so I’m start seeing what’s out there, what other company wants me to fight for it. They offered me Glover and I never turned down one of the opponents the UFC has even given me. The only opponent I tried to turn down was Matt Hamill because I didn’t want to fight a wrestler again, but Glover looks like a tough opponent and most the times he comes to fight and I’m hoping he stays that way. It looks like an exciting fight and I like fighting people who put on a great show".
While Rampage takes a liking to opposition who "come to fight" and is sick of wrestlers, Rampage himself has been unable to effectively use his boxing against elite opposition, something that made him a star in Japan and an eventual UFC champion. His last KO/TKO victory was in 2008 against Wanderlei Silva, and his only wins since then are all decisions against Keith Jardine (which is even more astonishing given Jardine's losses), Lyoto Machida, and Matt Hamill. For as much as his preferred style is boxing he has been hurt by Rashad Evans, Machida, and swinging in futile fashion against Jon Jones. It's evident his skills have declined and another loss would essentially cement that idea.
On the other side, this is Glover's biggest fight of his career and to get a "name" on his resume would definitely add him to the proverbial "mix" of title contenders at 205 lbs. While he is 32 he only has 20 fights on his record so he's still relatively fresh in the sport. He will have the Brazilian crowd behind him and hopefully this fight can deliver excitement regardless of the outcome. Most of Teixeira's wins come by KO/TKO but he is a high-level grappler, so Rampage's hopes of a slugfest may not be granted come October 13th.
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