Rampage cannot look ahead or past tonights fight with Forrest Griffin, if he intends on fighting Wanderlei Silva or Shogun Rua in the near future. Avenging losses for a champion is the closest thing they can have to redemption. Jackson though seems focused on anything Forrest can surprise him with. His trainer Juanito Ibarra who said this week on the Countdown to UFC 86 about Forrest "These are the guys that can beat you". When he talked about how a guy like Forrest can surprise a fighter with more skill by underestimating his opponent. Juanito seems to not only be preparing Jackson, but he also seems confident he has a gameplan for anything Griffin can bring to beat his fighter in the Octagon. He even went as far to say "I will retire if Forrest beats Rampage" in the Countdown show.
Now that he has been trained for any situation this leaves little for Griffin to work with. Cardio is not a factor with Rampage especially since he has already fought a five round fight against Dan Henderson at UFC 75. This championship bout gave Rampage something he desired for many years the Pride 205 championship. Though he didn't take the belt from Wanderlei Silva the victory showed how much overall he has improved his wrestling, cardio and standup. How can Forrest Griffin beat Rampage when Henderson could not nor Chuck Liddell. This is Rampage's time now and his division for years to come.
Why beating Forrest Griffin is important?
Griffin has the popularity that Rampage wants, though he has fought bigger name opponents none have more facial recognition than he does. Griffin winning the Ultimate Fighter inaugural season launched his career and put a face for casual fans to recognize.
It also gave fans who had stopped watching the UFC a reason to be interested again. When Rampage beats him tonight he will have beaten the two most popular fighters in the UFC. Many of whom did not follow Pride or know about Dan Henderson's reputation. Especially after Henderson was handled easily by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Fans who didn't know of his accolades may have thought less of Pride and MMA's first dual title holder. Rampage will take Griffin's popularity and recognition tonight in an event that should easily sell over 250,000 to 400,000 PPV buys.
The Rampage Era is upon us.
Every great fighter goes through a time when he peaks and is unstoppable and make no mistake the Rampage era is upon us. Anderson Silva may also move up to fight Rampage eventually but with a size advantage Jackson possesses don't count on Silva taking the fight soon. Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua and Chuck Liddell are all possible opponents in the future. With Jackson improving every fight they may all be stepping stones in what can become the Rampage era at 205 pounds. With great wrestling, powerful slams, cardio jiu-jitsu defense and explosive knockout power how can Rampage be beaten any time soon?
To see the reasons why Forrest Griffin will become Champion at UFC 86, click the link below for a view from both fighters.
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