Sports Illustrated recently singled out Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (along with 49 other athletes) as a “Breakout Star” of 2007.
Here’s the snip:
“In May, at UFC 71, Jackson defeated UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell at 1:53 of the opening round. Later in the year, he defeated PRIDE middleweight champion Dan Henderson at UFC 75 in London, England, in September. That unified the two organizations’ titles.”
Rampage also avenged a loss from earlier in his career when he took out Marvin Eastman in his Octagon debut at UFC 67: “All or Nothing” back in February.
In addition, MSNBC also selected Rampage as its “Fighter of the Year” for “setting himself apart” from the rest of the field.
Here’s that snip:
“Several fighters qualify for best in 2007: Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Urijah Faber, Takanori Gomi, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Fedor Emelianenko. It’s a lofty list. But Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who as an underdog beat Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell with a knockout, then edged Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson in five closely fought rounds, set himself apart and is the pick for Fighter of the Year.”
I have no problems with the selection; however the list of other candidates is a bit off. Sam Caplan over at CBSSports.com makes a better case (for the same fighter, Rampage.)
Too bad it seems we won’t get to see him compete as much in 2008. Ho-hum.
(Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “PJ” for the assist.)
39 Comments »
I’m angry at the fact that we have to wait so long to see another title defense.
[quote comment=”254735″]I’m angry at the fact that we have to wait so long to see another title defense.[/quote]
hell yea. Def sucks. But congrats to Page, hell of a year for him.
I’m still shocked that people felt Rampage to be this big under dog going into his 2nd fight with Chuck..when in the first one he beat the crap out of him..to the point his corner had to throw in the towell. PAge is the fighter of the year..the most improved fighter this year..from the Rampage in Pride to the Rampage of today..it’s two different fighter’s.
Rampage deserved it. Good for him.
I think Anderson Silva is undoubtably the best fighter in 2007. The problem is..he doesn’t speak english and the general american viewers..rather have the face of MMA to be american.
[quote comment=”254746″]I’m still shocked that people felt Rampage to be this big under dog going into his 2nd fight with Chuck..when in the first one he beat the crap out of him..to the point his corner had to throw in the towell. PAge is the fighter of the year..the most improved fighter this year..from the Rampage in Pride to the Rampage of today..it’s two different fighter’s.[/quote]
I kinda agree. However, the only reason why Rampage was the underdog was because Chuck was on that amazing winning streak that lasted for years. He looked nearly unbeatable until he met Rampage at UFC 71.
Sean Sherk is my fighter of 2007.
How he fought off the Gynocomastia (Bitch Tits) and ACNE side effects are beyond me lol
Hard to argue with this decision and I think the honorable mentions were right on target as well.
Rampage really deserved it. Anderson Silva could have gotten it but I dont think Silva’s opposition was as tough as Rampage’s. In mainstream AEmerica’s eyes he dethrowned the UFC posterboy who had a long streak (remember PRIDE was no where near as BIG in the USA as the UFC). After that he took on the Pride champion Henderson who is an absolute BEAST. Note: if Henderson would have beat Rampage he could have been fighter of the year after dethrowning Wanderlei from his five year title reign in PRIDE. He defeated Dan in a 5 round WAR.
Although the Spida had a hell of a year and fought and destroyed tough guys like Rich, lutter, Nate, In the media’s eyes those fight weren’t as Big of fights as the Rampage/Liddell and Rampage/Henderson fights. Rich was a tough mainstream fighter but in 2007 everyone knew Silva would destroy Rich again so itprobably wasnt as big of a deal then Rampage’s fight.
Now if the Spider beats henderson in March, No one will be left to stop him and he would be a strong favorite for 2008 Fighter of the year.
[quote comment=”254790″]Rampage really deserved it. Anderson Silva could have gotten it but I dont think Silva’s opposition was as tough as Rampage’s. In mainstream AEmerica’s eyes he dethrowned the UFC posterboy who had a long streak (remember PRIDE was no where near as BIG in the USA as the UFC). After that he took on the Pride champion Henderson who is an absolute BEAST. Note: if Henderson would have beat Rampage he could have been fighter of the year after dethrowning Wanderlei from his five year title reign in PRIDE. He defeated Dan in a 5 round WAR.
Although the Spida had a hell of a year and fought and destroyed tough guys like Rich, lutter, Nate, In the media’s eyes those fight weren’t as Big of fights as the Rampage/Liddell and Rampage/Henderson fights. Rich was a tough mainstream fighter but in 2007 everyone knew Silva would destroy Rich again so itprobably wasnt as big of a deal then Rampage’s fight.
Now if the Spider beats henderson in March, No one will be left to stop him and he would be a strong favorite for 2008 Fighter of the year.[/quote]
This is why I can post with you John. You know your MMA.
Like Rampage said during a Sports Science show FX, “gotta put your ass in it”. lol.. His punch had more force than a 400lbs Sumo Wrestler’s rush. The LHW Div is pretty stacked and it would be difficult for anyone to defend and keep the title against all the current top contenders. If Rampage, or anyone else could, they would be one of the all time greats and a certain Hall of Famer.
Why the hell r gomi, and Fedor on that list? I dont even think they fought in 2007 besides the Hong Man Choi fight (which was more like an exhibition any way)…..and there is no way in the world Machida was really a candidate because his fights dont really appeal to the mainstream because he doesnt finish and can sometimes be boring to an untrained eye.
[quote comment=”254793″][quote comment=”254790″]Rampage really deserved it. Anderson Silva could have gotten it but I dont think Silva’s opposition was as tough as Rampage’s. In mainstream AEmerica’s eyes he dethrowned the UFC posterboy who had a long streak (remember PRIDE was no where near as BIG in the USA as the UFC). After that he took on the Pride champion Henderson who is an absolute BEAST. Note: if Henderson would have beat Rampage he could have been fighter of the year after dethrowning Wanderlei from his five year title reign in PRIDE. He defeated Dan in a 5 round WAR.
Although the Spida had a hell of a year and fought and destroyed tough guys like Rich, lutter, Nate, In the media’s eyes those fight weren’t as Big of fights as the Rampage/Liddell and Rampage/Henderson fights. Rich was a tough mainstream fighter but in 2007 everyone knew Silva would destroy Rich again so itprobably wasnt as big of a deal then Rampage’s fight.
Now if the Spider beats henderson in March, No one will be left to stop him and he would be a strong favorite for 2008 Fighter of the year.[/quote]
This is why I can post with you John. You know your MMA.[/quote]
same here bro.
Good choice but also a hard choice!! Not much in my opinion between rampage and the spider. I dont think the language barrier had an influence though, just think Rampage got the nod. However if the spider can pull it off against Henderson then there isnt much else in his way, maybe GSP, then the whole division looks like his. On the other hand the light heavy is rammed and Rampage wont be short of a competetor or two, especially since wandi is his old foe, as is shogun. I also think a rematch with my man Liddell would be a little different next time. But hats off to Rampage, he deserved it.
the futures looking bright for 2008!
More defences though Dana Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!
TAKANORMI GOMI?!!?!?! What the hell were they smoking when they even considered him. He fought once in 2007 and he LOST (ok technically it was a No contest but he still lost in my eyes)…what the hell?
Even Fedor….he beat a MW, and an inexperienced giant, what?
Congrats to Rampage.
Congrats to Earnest Graham! Not only did you make the list, you were also a valued member of my 2007 World Champion Fantasy Football team!
Rampage is gonna be the champ for a long time so get used to it!
Gomi and Fedor were candidates? Clearly someone doesn’t know their MMA that well and included some names to make it seem like they were hip to the current scene.
good for Rampage!
Heck this just stuck an idea with me Mania. Why don’t you and Jesse come up with an MMA-Mania awards for the UFC for 2007. That would be a neat read.
What is a Breakout Star? That seems like a new guy who’s made a big splash. You know…not Rampage, not Randy.
[quote comment=”254751″]I think Anderson Silva is undoubtably the best fighter in 2007. The problem is..he doesn’t speak english and the general american viewers..rather have the face of MMA to be american.[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing.
Good to see the most charismatic person in sports getting some recognition!
I think Gomi earned it though….he had a huge 2007.
[quote comment=”255069″]I think Gomi earned it though….he had a huge 2007.[/quote]
In what way? Losing to Nick Diaz.
[quote comment=”255014″]What is a Breakout Star? That seems like a new guy who’s made a big splash. You know…not Rampage, not Randy.[/quote]
cough cough Roger Huerta cough cough
yeah seriously what the hell were they thinking when they considered gomi and fedor. even machida, i mean he won his fights and the sokodjou fight was impressive but you can’t even compare that to what the spider, rampage, and randy did this year.
[quote comment=”255072″][quote comment=”255069″]I think Gomi earned it though….he had a huge 2007.[/quote]
In what way? Losing to Nick Diaz.[/quote]
I think he was being sarcastic.
[quote comment=”255201″][quote comment=”255072″][quote comment=”255069″]I think Gomi earned it though….he had a huge 2007.[/quote]
In what way? Losing to Nick Diaz.[/quote]
I think he was being sarcastic.[/quote]
….thank you…
[quote comment=”255217″][quote comment=”255201″][quote comment=”255072″][quote comment=”255069″]I think Gomi earned it though….he had a huge 2007.[/quote]
In what way? Losing to Nick Diaz.[/quote]
I think he was being sarcastic.[/quote]
….thank you…[/quote]
Sorry about that Amos.
[quote comment=”254970″]Heck this just stuck an idea with me Mania. Why don’t you and Jesse come up with an MMA-Mania awards for the UFC for 2007. That would be a neat read.[/quote]
Something like that sounds cool… especially if we can put in a vote!
[quote comment=”254751″]I think Anderson Silva is undoubtably the best fighter in 2007. The problem is..he doesn’t speak english and the general american viewers..rather have the face of MMA to be american.[/quote]
Yeh…and he is slightly more of an undisputed Champ, whereas Rampage, as much as i like him, will find it difficult to be AS dominant in his division.
Anderson deserves it, so does Couture, but Rampage had lots of ups and downs throughout his career.Two of the downs were Wandy and ”Shogun”.I still respect him for being a good fighter and an entertaining person[in a good way].
[quote comment=”255136″][quote comment=”255014″]What is a Breakout Star? That seems like a new guy who’s made a big splash. You know…not Rampage, not Randy.[/quote]
cough cough Roger Huerta cough cough[/quote]
Damn right. 5-0 in 2007 should at least have gotten Huerta a mention.
[quote comment=”255421″]Anderson deserves it, so does Couture, but Rampage had lots of ups and downs throughout his career.Two of the downs were Wandy and ”Shogun”.I still respect him for being a good fighter and an entertaining person[in a good way].[/quote]
I see where you are coming from as far as his total career is concerned, but they all have had ups and downs like Rampage during thier career. Anderson submitted by Chonan, Randy KO’d twice by Chuck, but as far as an award for the year 2007, Page, Anderson, and Couture are right there together. They all, definitely had stand out years. Although it really has nothing to do with the fighting aspect of this award, I think his unique personality and likeability probably edged the other two out. Not that Couture isn’t just as popular, but I think the fued with the UFC may have hindered him in the media awards category.
Why was Fedor’s name in there he didnt do shit this year!
Anderson Silva opponion is the best! I think he’ll beat Rampage!!!
Awesome year for A silva and rampage, two forces to be reckoned with
man im happy rampage won from one memphian to another with 3 wins in 2007 with 2 of them seeming pretty easy for him,and the third was a figther that other top 5 lhw couldnt beat.
but with that said,two other people come to mind that could have one this award without controversy….couture and huerta.
couture COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT and destroys fatbot and shocks the world then destroys another monstrous heavyweight who just headkick knockout one of the most dominant heavyweight tyrants ever,cro cop,which makes randy a heavy underdog and then he beats gonzaga so easily he wins the respectof every mma fan in the world.
huerta,come on people at the begining of 07 no one could really tell you who he was and by the end of it i dont think there is anyone who cant tell you who he is.going 5-0 in 07 most of his wins seeming easy for him and then in his last victory beating guida after being in the trenches for two rounds and is know a lightweight title contender.
at least silva didnt win him,hes one of my favorite fighters but comeon,not once in 07 was he an underdog and almost lost to lutter.but he was dominant which earns him an unquestioned respect and favortism
People!!! Have you completely gone crazy and lost your minds? Anderson Silva was undoubtedly the 2007 fighter of the year!! His striking ability is the best MMA has ever seen!! He can hit you with his fist, elbows, knees, and his spider legs all in a one second combo. It’s what exactly happened to Rich Franklin in both fights along with all the other challengers. He’s the closet thing we’ve seen to the one and only Bruce Lee. And no I’m not saying he comes close to replicating Bruce but that he’s the closest thing we’ve seen yet.
Are we not giving him the 2007 fighter of the year because he completely destroyed every fighter placed in his way???? So then we say to ourselves he didn’t face a supreme caliber fighter as did Rampage.
Would we have said he faced tough competition if at least one of his competitors had given him somewhat of fight?
With all that said, I’m not all mad that Rampage won 2007 fighter of the year!! He’s a great individual in and out of the octagon. I just believe if you look and dissect Silva’s fighting skills, he’s dominant in all areas of his game. There’s not a weakness in his game. And he just keeps getting better with each fight. The real test will definitely be Dan Henderson come March!! If he walks through Dan and knocks him out he will then undoubted have to go down as top 3 fighters ever to grace this earth (but probably my #1)!!! Not impossible but damn near considering Dan’s Chin is like a brick of steel.
And again I’m going to say I’m not upset Rampage won the 2007 fighter of the year. He did not only beat but knocked the hell-out of Chuck liddell, which some considered at the time to be the #1 fighter in the world. Then a few months later beat Dan, which some thought to be #1 fighter in the world as well since he destroyed wanderlei silva.
I know this is a long shot but if Anderson defeats Dan, we should then have a fight between Anderson and Rampage at 195. It’s only a 10lb difference for each fighter. hahahahahahhahhaha!!!!
Anderson would destroy!!!