Jackson returning to Japan, fighting roots for UFC 144

When Quinton "Rampage" Jackson found out the Ultimate Fighting Championship was returning to Japan for the first time in more than a decade, he did whatever it took to get on the card.

"It's a no-brainer. The UFC is going back to Japan, and I got my big break in Japan. I wanted to be there," the 33-year-old light heavyweight said. "I can't say it was on my bucket list, but you know what I'm saying. It was a no-brainer that if the UFC is putting on a show in Japan, I wanted to be on that card."

Jackson made his name in the mixed martial arts while fighting for the Japan-based Pride Fighting Championships and remains a superstar in the country.

UFC president Dana White said Jackson wasn't exactly subtle about his desire to appear at the event.

"He terrorized me about getting on this card," White said. "Originally we had him scheduled for a different event, and he said, 'Hell no. I'm fighting in Japan.' "

Jackson got his wish and fights Reno native Ryan Bader on Saturday at UFC 144 in Saitama. The event, which will take place Sunday in Japan to air at the normal UFC start time of 7 p.m. PST Saturday, marks the first time the UFC has held an event in the country since 2000, before current ownership took over.

Jackson has good reason to be so enthusiastic about returning to Japan. Despite losing his Pride debut to legend Kazushi Sakuraba in 2001, he went on to have his greatest success in Japan. Jackson fought just about every big-name fighter in Pride during his heyday.

"I love that place," he said. "I think I was so popular in Japan because of my fight style. I was young, and I didn't care. I just wanted to put on fights for the crowd, and they love that type of stuff."

He also started his family in Japan and is excited to be able to fight in front of many loved ones.

"It's very important to me personally," he said. "My kids are from Japan, my kids' grandparents are from there. They never really watched me fight back in the day. I really miss the fans; I'm not going to lie. I really miss fighting there, so it was something personal for me. My two younger kids can come watch me fight and the in-laws can be in the crowd and watch me fight. I never had that before, so it is something that I want to do."

He also wants to get back on track after a loss to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in September. Jackson indicated he might have contemplated retirement had he won back the belt then, particularly if he would have been able to successfully defend it one time in Japan.

Jackson now says he wants to make one more run at regaining the title with an eye toward going out as the champion. A win over Bader is a must if he hopes to accomplish that goal.

Bader, 28, had his unblemished record blotted when he also ran into Jones in early 2011 as both were climbing the ranks. He followed his first defeat by losing to an aging Tito Ortiz.

Bader got back in the win column with a first-round knockout of Jason Brilz in November. He has a golden opportunity to jump back to the top of the heap in the division with a win over a former champion with a perceived home-crowd advantage.

"It's a big fight," Bader said. "I don't necessarily say I'm sitting in (Jackson's) backyard because he's popular over there. He's fought over there a lot, but at the same time, we're both traveling over there, and we're both going to be in the octagon, and everyone he's beat and all of that, they're not going to be in there with him."

Jackson expects to have the crowd on his side, but it's a different type of crowd in Japan. He says they are knowledgeable and stay mostly silent during fights, a stark contrast to UFC crowds in the rest of the world.

The main event pits top contender Benson Henderson against lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.