Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson: Jon Jones 'bad for the sport' of MMA

Jon Jones has been cleared to return to the UFC, and it seems his first fight back will likely be for the title he lost when stripped by the promotion for disciplinary reasons. But one fellow UFC superstar doesn’t seem exactly thrilled to have him back in the cage.

“Honestly, I think that Jon Jones is bad for the sport because when he fights people, he injures us,” former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson told AXS TV. “He kicked my knee backwards. My knee is never the same.”

“Rampage” Jackson (36-11 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) met in the cage once before, and “Bones” used his now-famous (or perhaps infamous) oblique kicks to keep Jackson at bay, pushing out front kicks to his opponent’s knees to keep him away. Jackson took issue with the strategy, which saw him fall via fourth-round submission.

Jones was just 24 years old at the time of the win, and the victory marked the first of eight consecutive defenses of the belt he would earn before ultimately being stripped of the title earlier this year after leaving the scene of a traffic accident that left a fellow motorist injured.

On Friday, the UFC re-instated Jones, though the promotion has yet to announce when he’ll return to the cage. However, the now-former champ seems certain to meet current title holder Daniel Cormier in the near future.

For his part, Jackson seemed to suggest he hopes for Jones, now 28, to enjoy a successful career – even of he does enter the cage with the intention of causing harm.

“I hope he learns from his mistakes,” Jackson said. “Everybody deserves a second chance.”

To hear more from Jackson, including the latest on his legal battles with Bellator and the UFC, as well as what he sees for his own future, check out the video above.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.