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Rampage Jackson reveals crazy training tactic for Jon Jones fight

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated May 23, 2025 7:56 AM ET

MMA legend and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson trained specifically for one of Jon Jones' most infamous tactics ahead of their fight in 2011.

Jackson was one of the many legendary names on Jones' championship resume. 'Bones' ran through a gauntlet of MMA greats, including former champions 'Shogun' Hua, Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort, all in a row.

In a recent revelation, Jackson revealed a bizarre training method that caused him to enter the Jones fight with an injury.

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Rampage Jackson trained eye pokes specifically for Jon Jones

Speaking on his JAXXON podcast, Jackson revealed he entered the Jones fight injured because he specifically trained for Jones' infamous eye pokes during the buildup.

"I came into that fight with an eye poke injury because we were training for that s***," Jackson revealed. ". . . I fought a guy who's known for eye poking. . . I trained for it! I was fighting for the belt. I trained my ass off for that fight. . . The guy's arms are long as hell, but he was poking."

Jones has been notorious for fouling opponents with eye pokes. While already being tall at 6'4", Jones has a ridiculous reach of seven feet with his arms outstretched side to side.

It's why Jones has such good defense. He's used that reach, with splayed fingers, very liberally in his career.

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Possibly the best fighter to deal with Jones' reach was Dominick Reyes, who resorted to punching Jones' fingers to try to break them. Reyes lost a contentious decision, but he was the closest anybody has come to defeating Jones.

Now, fans eagerly await Jones fighting interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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