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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The UFC had been eying Chael Sonnen for a slot on The Ultimate Fighter for a little while, and according to a report from MMAFighting.com, they offered a coaching slot and fight against Sonnen to someone other than Jon Jones initially.
That someone is two-time Ultimate Fighter coach Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who turned down both the fight and another time on TUF. The UFC then ultimately chose to give Sonnen an undeserved shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by adding Jones to the mix.
For Jackson, neither the prospect of coaching another season of The Ultimate Fighter nor a bout against Sonnen interested him, so he had no desire to take part.
"Forget TUF. I'm not interested in that," Jackson said. "I don't want to fight Chael. He's the kind of fighter that I don't want to fight. He's a boring fighter that just wants to hump people."
The two fighters have exchanged comments in media interviews and appearances as well as on Twitter, but Jackson wasn't looking to bring that to the cage. He's still awaiting an official booking for his final UFC fight after an injury took him out of UFC 153, and after being passed over by Phil Davis for the bout against Forrest Griffin.
Penick's Analysis: Jackson would have brought a name that TUF fans are very familiar with, especially seeing as he was a coach on the most-watched season of the show. That had a heated rivalry brewing with Rashad Evans, though, not to mention Kimbo Slice. He also coached against Griffin back in season seven, so after two appearances on the show he wasn't going to be eager to make it three. And with the way he felt he was portrayed through editing on the last show, it's no wonder he feels that way. As to a fight with Sonnen, it's one that could be built up on trash talk, but the fight itself wouldn't likely be much. It doesn't necessarily justify Sonnen-Jones, but it wasn't the only thing they considered.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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