Rampage explains why he lost

[The Mac]

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson says his dislike for Rashad Evans didn't slow him down at Saturday's UFC 114 event in Las Vegas – but ring rust did.

Jackson (30-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) gave Evans (15-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) respect for besting him on points in their highly anticipated headliner, and he also admitted that despite brushing off pre-fight questions about it, a long layoff did indeed hurt his performance.

"I'm really ashamed of myself that I fell victim to ring rust," Jackson said at the UFC 114 post-event press conference. "Emotions had nothing to do with it."

The two long-feuding former champions promised to settle their score violently before a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but it was Evans who earned a unanimous decision victory – and often the crowd's ire – by out-grappling Jackson.

After two lackluster frames, Jackson saw his best chance for victory in the third round when he caught Evans with a few heavy shots but couldn't seal the deal in the process.

"I thought that Rashad was going to come out with a gameplan to stick and move and stay on the outside and try and get some takedowns," UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com . "I thought 'Rampage' was going to come in dropping bombs trying to knock him out.

"[Jackson] had his opportunity in the third round. I thought that fight was going to be over right there, but Rashad got out of there."

With the victory, Evans set up a title match with current titleholder Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

"It was no secret that Rashad was going to try to wrestle me," Jackson said. "Rashad was faster than I anticipated, and he was more aggressive than I anticipated. He had a great game plan and it worked well for him."

Jackson voiced regret with taking a role in the upcoming movie remake of "The A-Team" that delayed his return to the cage. Between injuries, the silver screen, and a spat with UFC management over a delay to the his grudge match with Evans, Jackson was out of action for almost 15 months.

Evans and Jackson shared words of encouragement after judges made their ruling.

"I'm not a sore loser," Jackson said. "That's why I commended him. [We're] all cut from the same cloth; we all put our lives on the line, and get in the octagon and do battle.

"[We're] the alpha men of the planet, I feel. If anybody beats me, no matter how they beat me – they beat me and I respect that."

That doesn't mean, however, that Jackson has completely buried the hatchet after the two talked a heap of trash in the buildup to the bout.

"I'm still not going to forget the stuff [Evans] said – he can still kiss my black ass," Jackson said to laughs around the pressroom.

"I feel the same way, man," Evans replied. "He can kiss my ass, too."

In the meantime, the door appears open to a rematch between the rivals, though Evans will next face Rua. Jackson said he'll commit fully to his fight career if there is a next time.

White entertained the idea of a second bout at some point down the line, but he later told reporters that Jackson could possibly next face Lyoto Machida, who lost the 205-pound title to Rua earlier this month.

Whoever the opponent may be, Jackson said he needs to exercise some demons when he returns.

"I would like to get back in there as soon as possible," he said. "I didn't like the way I felt, (and) how much I hesitated.

"This fight's going to haunt me for a long time. I'm just one of those guys – it's really going to haunt me."

[Punisher]

Rashad was way too fast to Rampage, it was a good fight but If Rampage didnt have the huge lay off it could have been a different fight

[The Mac]

ya i thought rampage had it won in the third round
he shoulda capitalized no rashad but he looked gassed

[The Ultimate Fighter]

i thought today Machida v Rampage makes sense in the swing of things but I don't know whether they automatically deserve a title shot. I fancy Jon Jones getting a title shot after hes won maybe 1 or 2 more fights.

[ClayMation]

I hated Rashad Evans coming into this fight, but i got some respect for him after it. Both guys showed class (surprisingly enough) after the fight. I'd love to see a rematch. Rampage vs Machida would be good too.

[Konan]

thanks for the post

[The Mac]

rampage vs machida would be a good fight
machida has a very frustrating style very hard to hit

jones needs some victories against some big name opponents
little nog, forrest, liddell, franklin, tito
someone like that

[The Random Seven]

He lost because his opponent wasn't a wooden door in the dojo.

Yeah, if you saw their Ultimate Fighter season, you picked up what I laid down.

[The Mac]

hahaha funny