Sweat hangs in the air. The sound of punches hitting pads echoes throughout the building. Men are training for the ultimate challenge.
Jackson’s demeanor doesn’t match his nickname “Rampage.” His big smile and carefree attitude make him seem more likely to give someone a hug than a kick to the ribs.
Jackson grew up in Memphis, Tenn., and started wrestling when he was 17. He continued in college with dreams of professional wrestling—the fake type. Jackson made the conversion to mixed martial arts after a short college wrestling career.
It takes time for wrestlers to add the striking to their grappling skills, said John Ibarra, Jackson’s trainer.
It’s like an education in fighting, said Brandon Vera, a UFC heavyweight fighter. “I have a Ph.D. in kicking butt,” he said. With that education comes the opportunity for amateur wrestlers to earn money.
After a six year career in Japan’s PRIDE fighting mixed martial arts circuit, Jackson made his UFC debut in July 2006. In May, Jackson got his title shot and defeated Chuck Lidell to become the light heavyweight champion of the world.
Jackson and three other UFC fighters train in a small inconspicuous building in Big Bear City. From the outside the building looks like a mechanic’s shop. But inside the only things being worked on are fighters.
“We bring them up here to get them away from all the distractions,” Ibarra said. He said Big Bear offers peace, quiet and altitude. The thin air increases the number of red blood cells that carry oxygen and that pays off with more stamina during a fight.
To the outsider who enters the gym, mixed martial arts looks violent. Men strike pads with fists and legs using brute force that cracks through the air. But after talking to Ibarra it is clear that mixed martial arts is more than street fighting.
“I look for athletes not fighters,” Ibarra said. Balance, speed, quickness and agility are part of what it takes to be a good ultimate fighter. Then comes the mental part.
“You think to yourself that someone is training for eight weeks to kick your butt,” Vera said. The mental game begins weeks before the combatants enter the ring he said. The idea that the other fighter is training as hard or harder keeps Vera focused.
The UFC has grown in the last five years. “We got rules now,” Ibarra said.
The UFC still lags behind other sports in terms of endorsement money, said Reed Wallace, who manages several UFC fighters. Major corporations are still turned off by the violence and refuse to sponsor the sport. However, the gate and the Pay Per View audiences are large enough that corporations won’t stay away for long, he said. “We draw over one million Pay Per View subscribers per fight now,” Wallace said.
The earnings and some endorsements are available for the fighters as well, Jackson endorses Toyo tires and earns enough from fighting to secure his financial future, he said. “If I wanted to retire tomorrow and move back to Memphis, I could be a happy man for the rest of my life,” he said.
Retirement isn’t coming anytime soon. “I want to be champion for as long as I can,” Jackson said.
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