Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, recently shared his unfiltered opinions on the greatest MMA stars of all time during an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. In a candid and outspoken manner, Jackson revealed his top 5 list, as well as his picks for the worst ever in the sport.
At the top of Jackson’s list was the legendary Anderson Silva. “I’m gonna go with Anderson Silva in his prime,” Jackson said, acknowledging the former middleweight champion’s dominant run. Rounding out the rest of the top 5 were Fedor Emelianenko, Royce Gracie, Jose Landi-Jons (“Pelé”), and Jon Jones.
Jackson initially forgot to include Jones, one of the most dominant light heavyweights in UFC history, but quickly added him after some reflection. “I still want to get Jon Jones back because I think Jon Jones is the best fighter in the world,” he admitted.
When discussing Royce Gracie, the pioneer of modern MMA, Jackson noted, “You’ve got to go with Royce Gracie because that’s, you know, he should have been the first name I said.”
However, Jackson’s opinions weren’t all positive. He also shared his picks for the three worst fighters he’s seen in the sport. Atop that list was Forrest Griffin, whom Jackson lambasted, saying, “Forrest Griffin, he f**ing sucked. He cried when Anderson Silva knocked his f***ing ass out and ran out the ring like a little b****.”
Beyond his assessment of the sport’s elite and underwhelming talents, Jackson also discussed his successful transition into acting, most notably starring as B.A. Baracus in the 2010 film adaptation of The A-Team.
Jackson revealed that his foray into Hollywood happened by chance after an injury sidelined him from MMA. He was cast in a small movie role, which led to him securing representation and eventually landing the iconic role of B.A. Baracus.
“If they ever remake A-Team I want to be the first one up,” Jackson recalled telling his management. He worked extensively with acting coaches, including Ed Quinn, who helped him approach the role by blending his own personality with that of his father.
“When I portrayed BA, I just mixed my personality with my dad’s personality, which is kind of similar,” Jackson said. “We all can be actors, we all can be characters if we just learn our lines and we just deliver our lines like how we would say it.”
Jackson’s successful transition to the silver screen demonstrates the opportunities available for MMA stars to leverage their fame and physicality into acting careers after their fighting days are over. His role in a major studio blockbuster helped pave the way for others to pursue their dreams in film and television.
