‘Rampage’ Jackson motivated by Hamill’s fighting words

If Quinton "Rampage" Jackson lacked motivation to fight Matt Hamill, he said his opponent took care of that with a recent comment.

Jackson, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, had alluded to his lack of enthusiasm about fighting someone who, while a solid competitor, is well outside of the upper echelon in the stacked division.

A recent interview by Hamill has intensified Jackson's focus for their main event at UFC 130 on Saturday at the MGM Grand.

"My main motivation is to win, but I think Matt made a mistake when he actually said that he's going to break my will and that I'm going to overlook him," Jackson said. "It actually lit a fire up under my ass and actually made me try a little bit harder just so I can break his will.

"Honestly, in the beginning, fighting him I wasn't 100 percent motivated as I would be versus someone who had beaten me before or something like that, yeah. Honestly, that's the truth. But when he said that, (it) motivated me just as much as I've been motivated in other fights."

Hamill is not exactly a slouch. The three-time Division III national champion wrestler has won five straight fights, including his last two victories over Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz.

The streak includes a win over Jon Jones, the only defeat of the light heavyweight champion's career, though it came by disqualification.

Still, Hamill realizes where he stands in the pecking order and wasn't offended by Jackson's dismissal of the matchup.

"I don't blame him for thinking that way," Hamill said. "I'm only ranked 17th in the world right now, and Rampage should be thinking about fighting the top five guys. (But) I feel like I can beat him. I just want to thank him for giving me the opportunity."

Jackson could have had a title shot in March but wasn't able to take the fight against then-champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on short notice after Rashad Evans was injured. Jones jumped at the chance to fill in and eventually took the belt.

Jackson said it would have been impossible for him to make weight and properly train for that bout.

An impressive win over Hamill could very well put him in position to challenge Jones, but Jackson said he's not thinking about it right now.

He is still thinking about his movie career. Jackson received mostly positive reviews for his role in an otherwise lackluster big-screen version of "The A-Team."

He said as soon as he is making more money doing movies than fighting, he will turn his full attention to acting.

Jackson said there are a few roles on the horizon with short enough shooting schedules that he could do between fights. His plan, as he has insisted throughout his career, is not to fight beyond age 35.

"You can't fight until you're 60," the 32-year-old said. "And if anybody's smart, they want to have an exit plan from MMA or any full-contact sport."

Jackson has little concern for what his critics have said about his attention being diverted from his fighting career.

"It's my life. It's my family that I take care of, and so I have my goals and my plans and things that I want to do to make me happy. That's all I really care about, me and my family." Jackson said. "And the fans, I'm just here to entertain them. But do I care about them the way I care about myself and my family? Hell no."

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.