MMA’s Greats of the States | Tennessee: Quinton Jackson

Mixed martial artists come from every corner of the globe, bearing a variety of styles. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring disciplines prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best mixed martial artist of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Quinton Jackson has spent his long, illustrious career establishing himself as one of the most revered fighters of his generation.

“Rampage” was a ferocious wrestle-brawler in his heyday with the Japan-based Pride Fighting Championships and challenged virtually all of his contemporaries. The Memphis, Tennessee, native lost to Japanese icon Kazushi Sakuraba in his Pride debut and then hit his stride with the organization. Wins over Igor Vovchanchyn, Murilo Bustamante, Kevin Randleman and Chuck Liddell followed, along with epic battles against archrival Wanderlei Silva. However, the highlight of Jackson’s run in Japan came at Pride Critical Countdown 2004, where he authored one of the most brutal finishes in MMA history with his slam knockout of Ricardo Arona.

Jackson eventually made his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and clobbered Liddell in their 2007 rematch to capture the light heavyweight championship. He was successful in his first title defense against Dan Henderson but surrendered the crown in a controversial decision loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. Jackson later moved to Bellator MMA, where he has since compiled a 4-1 record in five appearances.

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