Rolling Stone’s 2007 Hot List is on news stands now. The UFC’s own Quinton “Rampage” Jackson makes an appearance as the year’s hottest pugilist:

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s first bout was in kindergarten. “A kid broke my Hot Wheel, so I decided to break off my foot in his ass,” recalls Jackson, 29. “I won. I don’t lose too many fights.”

Nope. At 28-6, with 12 knockouts, Jackson is the light-heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Champion of the world, the fastest-rising star in the fastest-rising sport in America. He won the title in May with a first-round TKO of superstar Chuck Liddell, then defended it in September.

He earned the nickname “Rampage” at eight, growing up a self-described “street brawler” on the streets of south Memphis. “It was like a war, man. You go out with friends at night, you don’t know how many of y’all will make it back home. Some might get shot, some might get arrested, which was like being taken prisoner by the enemy.”

Outside the ring, Jackson is an affable born-again Christian with four kids, and he has a retirement dream: action movies. “I’ve got my heart set on playing Mr. T in the A-Team movie,” he says. “Mr. T just had to be a badass. I’d make a perfect Mr. T.” – DAVID HOLTHOUSE

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