Bellator 113's Emanuel Newton doesn’t care about friendship, wants to fight 'Rampage'

Despite having a relationship with Quinton Jackson that dates back nearly a decade, Emanuel Newton says he is hopeful for a future showdown with “Rampage” inside the Bellator cage.

While Newton’s (22-7-1 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) immediate focus is firmly planted on his title unification bout with 205-pound titleholder Attila Vegh (29-4-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) at Bellator 113 this Friday, he’ll have a close eye on May’s tournament final between Jackson and Muhammed Lawal, as it will determine a No. 1 contender in the division.

Having twice defeated Lawal under the Bellator banner this past year, Newton wants a fresh challenge in “Rampage.” And with intimate knowledge of both at his disposal, he believes that’s exactly who he’ll get.

“I see ‘Rampage’ knocking ‘Mo’ out,” Newton told MMAjunkie. “‘Rampage’ has awesome takedown defense and ‘Mo’ is going to try and take him down. I think it’s going to become a standup war and ‘Rampage’ will get on the inside and probably put ‘Mo’ out with a hook. That’s how he’ll get it done.”

Jackson recently created some buzz in the online community when he posted a training picture with Newton by his side on his official Instagram account. Some wondered why the two fighters would opt to train together when they could be just one victory away from facing off, but Netwon says this is nothing new. In fact, he’s had interaction with Jackson in a training environment for nearly 10 years.

“We have the same trainer – we both have Antonio McKee,” Newton said. “We’re just training partners. It may get a little weird at times. I’m sure it can be a little weird for him, too. But at the same time, it’s business. When we have to fight, we have to fight. I think the sport is changing and it’s going to start becoming more (common) – it’s martial arts.

“I don’t hate my opponents. I don’t dislike any of my opponents. This isn’t a bar brawl. We’re both professionals. We’re going to train together and go out there and give our best performance. I enjoy his friendship. ‘Rampage’ is a good guy. There’s no bad blood between us.”

While training alongside a veteran of Jackson’s caliber would be beneficial for most fighters, Newton says publicizing the relationship also has a secondary intention. That intention is to irritate Lawal, who is a bitter rival of both men.

“We’re just making sure we get under ‘Mo’s skin,” Newton said. “He ran his mouth so much when he fought me. He’s running his mouth about fighting ‘Rampage,’ and we just want to make sure he knows he made a bad mistake. He bit off more than he can chew fighting both of us.”

Newton is confident he’s going to defeat Vegh and go on to fight Jackson in the first defense of his undisputed championship later this year. However, if Lawal spoils those plans and earns a third crack at Newton, he’ll be more than willing to take out the self-proclaimed “King” yet again.

“I’ll gladly fight ‘Mo’ again because I know he’s going to be the same ‘Mo,’ maybe even worse,” Newton said. “He lost to me twice and might have to fight me again. The only way he’ll be able to pump himself up is by talking s–t, having a big ego and doing the usual things he does. All that’s going to do is just motivate me even more.”

If the decision were left up to Newton, though, the choice to fight Jackson would be an easy one regardless of their personal relationship.

“I prefer to fight ‘Rampage’ because I think that’s what the fans want to see,” Newton said. “I think that’s what would be better for Bellator and better for our careers. That’s what I would like to do.”

While it’s fun to daydream about what the future potentially holds, Newton is fully aware he must win to get his desired fight with Jackson. Considering Vegh already defeated him less than two years ago, Newton is looking at the rematch as a brand new fight and, unlike the last bout, has no plans to allow the judges to decide his fate.

“My style, my technique, my timing and my strength are all different from the fighter I was then,” Newton said. “It’s not going to go to the judges this time. I’m not going in here for another decision. I’m not going in here for another freaking five-round fight, I’ve had too many of those already. I’m over it. I’m going in there looking to finish him.”

Bellator 113 takes place Friday at Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

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