It has been announced that former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will coach the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" opposite another former champ, TUF alum Rashad Evans.
Rampage had already been slated to be the first challenger of newly crowned LHW Champion Lyoto Machida, but opted to pass up the chance to reclaim the throne in exchange for a shot at Evans.
Now the obvious question looms. Why would a fighter pass up a title shot? Easy. He's a fighter in the truest sense of the word. While being a World Champion is great, a title is not at the top of his priority list; he wants to beat up Rashad Evans.
It could be said that Jackson is on a mission, but it could also be called a "rampage."
It all started when Evans (who was the LHW champion at the time) entered the cage at UFC 96 after Jackson's win over Keith Jardine.
The two stood nose-to-nose and engaged in a lengthy verbal sparring match. Joe Rogan's mic was wedged between the two so everyone watching could get in on the fun.
The fact that Jardine is a training partner of Evans may have added fuel to the fire. After all, if you had just watched your buddy lose a fight, you'd probably have a thing or two to say to the guy that beat him.
The two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 100 in July, but after a game of musical fight cards, the match was bumped up to 98.
Rampage was forced to withdraw from the fight due to the short turnaround time and a laundry list of nagging injuries. Machida stepped in and the rest, as they say, is history.
This will be Jackson's second stint on The Ultimate Fighter. While serving as a coach opposite Forrest Griffin in Season 7 of TUF, he was very vocal about his disdain for the position, and said he would never do it again.
Obviously, he couldn't pass on the chance to square off with Evans. The two former champions are scheduled to lock horns on Dec. 12.
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