So scared of Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson was Jon Jones going into their UFC 135 fight in 2011 that he did something that had never been done in the UFC octagon. Jackson, of course, was a former UFC and Strikeforce champion, and perhaps the most dangerous man in the 205-pound division at the time.

Fearful of ‘Rampage’s legendary power, ‘Bones’, the then champ, would start off the fight on the ground. Literally! As soon as the first bell rang, Jones went on his haunches and crawled up to ‘Rampage’, refusing to engage with him in striking and grabbing hold of Jackson to grapple him straightaway. The former UFC superstar recently told Joe Rogan the one aspect that he thought contributed most to him losing to Jones.

‘Rampage’ Jackson tells Joe Rogan why he wished he had a taller grappling partner for the Jones fight

A 23-year-old Jon Jones was able to defeat Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson almost a decade and a half ago, which was a momentous point in ‘Bones’ life. The future heavyweight champion caught ‘Rampage’ in a rear naked choke hold (which Jackson has described as his ‘Kryptonite’) in the fourth round, to which the veteran submitted.

But Jones was not the only one who had had a tough time coming into the bout. Speaking to Joe Rogan on episode #159 of the JRE MMA show, Jackson would recall the one aspect of his training that he regretted and felt he should have changed for ‘Bones.’

“Oh that’s right. You know I didn’t train with tall Jiu-Jitsu guys. For him [Jon Jones], I had a tall guy to spar with but I didn’t have anybody long and lengthy like that, and I didn’t think they would make a difference. But after the [result], like, yeah it makes a difference on the ground, for sure. ‘Cuz they can secure chokes from places that you just can’t get to,” Rampage Jackson said regrettably.

The former light heavyweight champion felt that he had missed a trick by not having someone with Jones’ length grapple with him to prepare him for what lay ahead. This, he felt was a crucial factor since he was ill-prepared for just how easily a tall man like Jones could catch him in holds.

“Training for that guy was the was like the hardest training camp, it was the hardest thing. I remember my coaches, I just listen to my coach I don’t watch the fights, they was like ‘If he turns Southpaw he going to throw this kick, if he do this he’s going to do that’. Had to train for the Oblique kick, for the spinning elbows, that was the hardest f***ing training camp,” he added.

On the other hand, he had extensively trained for all of the novel and dynamic moves that Jon Jones had been the pioneer of in the UFC. Jackson ruefully recalled getting ridden hard by his coaches to prepare for all of Jones’ new-fangled moves. Alas, it all came to naught as he got submitted in the fourth round. But at least it will be a small consolation to ‘Rampage’ that Jones was terrified of fighting him.

Jon Jones couldn’t sleep because of ‘Rampage’: Chandler Jones

Jon Jones’ brother, Chandler, appeared on ‘Rampage’s ‘JAXXON Podcast’ earlier this year, where he made some startling revelations about Jon’s state of mind before fighting Jackson. The NFL player revealed that Jon couldn’t sleep in the days leading up to their fight, out of the sheer fear that ‘Rampage’ inspired in ‘Bones’. In addition, he would reveal that Jackson was actually Jon’s idol, and the fighter their whole family rooted for before Jon Jones became Jon Jones.

“I’m Jon’s little brother, so I know who he fanboys over. And before y’all’s fight, he couldn’t sleep. And I don’t give a f**k who — I’m looking you in your eyes, I’m not blinking — I don’t give a f**k who he fought, who with a bigger name, whatever, I’m talking about to this day, that he could not sleep. We all had been a fan of you before him,” an animated Chandler told Jackson.

On the other hand, the fact that Jones, after having won the title in his previous bout was able to defeat another legend of ‘Rampage’s pedigree made even his worst critics realize just how special he was. Their press conferences, where Jackson’s zany, self-deprecating sense of humor was on clear display are also the stuff of legend and are an entertaining watch even to this day.