Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson names an opponent he was "scared" of in Pride, discloses humorous way of handling it: "That's what relaxed me"
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson recently recalled how he handled his fears of fighting an opponent in Pride and noted that he took more of a humorous approach. He would eventually become the fighter that others feared due to his knockout power, so it's interesting that he dealt with those same thoughts earlier in his career.
The MMA legend was one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the world during his prime, which saw him become a UFC champion. During his tenure in Pride, 'Rampage' disclosed that he was afraid heading into his bout against Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 22.
During an episode of his JAXXON PODCAST with guest Alistair Overeem, the former UFC light heavyweight champion disclosed that he wrote a note and handed it to 'Ice Cold' prior to their fight. Jackson mentioned that watching Vovchanchyn read the humorous note calmed all his fears and allowed him to focus on the fight. He said:
"I remember the first time I was scared when I had to fight Igor Vovchanchyn, and I gave him that note...Yeah, I cracked his ribs [in that fight]...I gave him a note before I fought...I said, 'My mama said, don't knock me out'. And he read it upside down...And that's what relaxed me, when I gave him the note and he actually tried to read it."
Check out Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's comments below:
What happened when Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson fought Igor Vovchanchyn?
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 22, which took place on Sep. 29, 2002.
At the time, 'Rampage' came into the fight following two consecutive TKO wins over Masaaki Satake and Sean Gray. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian was looking to bounce back from his unanimous decision loss to Heath Herring earlier that year.
The bout began with both fighters battling for positioning in the clinch before 'Rampage' picked 'Ice Cold' up and slammed him to the mat and landing strikes on the ground, which he had been known for in Pride. Vovchanchyn managed to get back to his feet and unloaded strikes with a burst of energy, however, Jackson picked him up and slammed him again.
Jackson went on to land ground and pound to the body, which resulted in a TKO win at 7:17 of the first round as the Ukrainian sustained a rib injury.
Check out the UFC's tweet highlighting Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson below: