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Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his own words: Upset about how much Zuffa got for selling 10% of UFC and how the company treats their fighters
By Zach Arnold | May 16, 2010
Doing this transcription was a challenge, which is why I’m embedding the video so you can listen to the audio while reading the transcript of quotes here. If I didn’t get the accuracy 100%, you can match up what I wrote with what the audio indicates.
I’ll tell you my impression of the interview after you read the quotes.
Rampage would have liked to have been with Machida on The Ultimate Fighter
“Well, I would have been prefer like to get The Ultimate Fighter against Machida. To fix the problem back in the day from square one, you know what I’m saying, to X Rashad out because he don’t got the damn belt but Machida’s English is not so good so I just felt I had to fight Rashad, he all cocky and he think he did something good because he’s on The Ultimate Fighter but like dude you just got knocked the hell out, you’re on Ultimate Fighter by default because the dude that knocked you out don’t speak English, bro, don’t be coming here acting like that, you know what I’m saying? This is the type of thing I’m dealing with, it’s just annoying actually. But you know, all that been said, I trained when it’s said and done, I feel like fighting Rashad is taking a step backwards but I think it’s worked out and everything, I think this will be a nice warm-up fight for Shogun, you know what I’m saying.
“Everybody knows I took time off, you know it would be stupid to go right into like a big title fight with Shogun. So this will be a good test for me, a good warm-up fight and if I lose to Rashad, then I don’t even deserve to get my belt back.”
Facing Shogun the first time in PRIDE
“Hey, the fight with Shogun, it wasn’t me. I wasn’t, I was already injured, you know what I’m saying? I didn’t want to make that be known before the fight, tell everybody ‘oh I’m injured,’ fighters always do that. You know what I’m saying, we get asked, ‘How you doing?” and like, “I’m in the best shape.” We don’t go and tell people, we don’t want our opponent to know, but I can tell you now years ago, for the first three weeks of that camp, I did a six week camp. Back in those days I only did six weeks because I stayed training year-round because of PRIDE they could tell you whenever to fight, so I was in shape year-round. So the first three weeks, the camp was going good. I was in really good cardio shape and everything and I got an ankle injury where I couldn’t run anymore, that’s the only way I got my cardio and back then, PRIDE first round was 10 minutes and Shogun was known to have good cardio, so you know what I’m saying, I should have just backed out of the fight you know what I’m saying, but you know I was you know I was like, “he hadn’t fought nobody in PRIDE, just a couple of Japanese guys,” I didn’t think he was that good you know at the time and he crashed me right away, boom, took me out. And he hurt my rib, yeah, he hurt my rib with knees, totally unexpected, he jumped on me right away. I tried to pace myself, go back and watch the fight, I’m trying to pace myself so I don’t get tired in the first round and Shogun just jumped on me and that fight has haunt me, has haunt me all this time. Now it’s still haunting me and it’s time to get him back and then I had another similar thing with Forrest, you know what I’m saying, I didn’t train properly, I got injured in camp, I got those healed up but I had some injuries that could have ended the fight, I was way overweight and didn’t train and believing my own crap you know because I was the champion, just won the undisputed belt like you know I got a little injured with Dan Henderson in the fight and all I had was like a little ligament right here on my pinky and I ended up not training at all, you know what I’m saying I could have kept running and something but I’m being all like “oh, I’m hurt,” you know what I’m saying, and get another loss and you would think that you know what I’m saying that I would learn from the fight with Shogun not to go into a fight not prepared but in my mind I thought I would be prepared except because I thought like, oh Forrest coming out of The Ultimate Fighter, he got a glass jaw, he beat this fight, and now that fight haunts me so.”
“I know I won the fight, but you know what I’m saying, it’s still one of the thing that haunts you you know what I’m saying, it’s on your record, I know mentally I won that fight that he didn’t whoop me, he didn’t whoop my ass you know what I’m saying.”
How Rampage sees his upcoming fight schedule if he could control things
“I had to deal with it, but yeah, I want to go, I want to get Rashad a nice warm-up fight, kick his ass, fight Shogun, redeem myself for my sleep, for my mind, and then go and just beat the hell out of Forrest, retire. Retirement. Only reason why is because the way Forrest acted afterwards when he know he lost the fight and you go back and watch the footage when they said you know he won, he was so surprised you know what I’m saying, I said that fight was a controversial fight just like Shogun/Machida I was controversial, you know what I’m saying it’s one of those things, but look at me, you know what I’m saying, you know Forrest is the golden boy, he’s the one who made the UFC with The Ultimate Fighter, him and Stephan Bonnar, you know what I’m saying, you know so they have their things, I have my things.”
How Rampage views his relationship with UFC
“Well, really, to be honest like it’s on my management, my manager wanted me to work things out and stuff like that, it’s still hard dealing with the UFC except now you know what I’m saying, you know those guys you know what I’m saying, if I had my way I still would be retired you know what I’m saying. I want to promote my own, I want to be like De La Hoya, you know what I’m saying? I don’t need the UFC, I don’t need the UFC banner. I don’t need the way they don’t want you to make you money to (stop business with) your partners or steal your sponsors, they do all this, you know what I’m saying? Man, let us make money, they just sold 10% of the company for $100 million? Like, I’m going to tell you how I am this and this is real and God knows if I’m lying. If I had a big company and I sold my big company for, a piece of my company, 10% of my company for $100 million, I would give some of the fighters that helped me make [unintelligible] contract, I would hook them up, I would hook them up big time. I would choose like you know what I’m saying the top fighters you know what I’m saying each weight class, hook them up, you know what I’m saying, go do something for them you know what I’m saying, I would like I would do something for them, give them a nice expensive car, a nice watch, any thing tax-write off [unintelligible], you know what I’m saying, I would hook them up, you know what I’m saying, just how I am because the UFC ain’t did it with just their name. Like I said before, you put two UFC symbols in that cage, see how many PPVs they get. Let the two UFC symbols fight each other. See, what people don’t know, what people don’t understand is not all about your name or UFC, it’s about the characters, it’s about the people inside that Octagon, you know what I’m saying, the whole package deal, they don’t realize that. Yeah, you know what I’m saying, they can keep making new fighters and stuff like that, some people can’t be emulated you know what I’m saying?”
Rampage’s thoughts on doing The Ultimate Fighter
“Everybody get a call from TUF. That ain’t nothing special. Like, you know, doing TUF and how much work goes into it and it’s eight, six weeks, that’s your life, you know what I’m saying, and Vegas, you know how much that cost? I could have bought the company myself with how much money I spend in the clubs in Vegas, now that’s my fault, but if I’m Vegas I’m in Vegas, it is my personality, you know what I’m saying. I spent that money you know what I’m saying, I lose money every time I do Ultimate Fighter. But you know what I’m saying, it’s just my point view of things you know what I’m saying.”
Why Rampage doesn’t like the way UFC does business
“I don’t care if the UFC don’t like I say or not, you know what I’m saying. For years, you know what I’m saying, I fought in the UFC and I didn’t agree with a lot of stuff but I kept my mouth shut, I didn’t say nothing, you know what I’m saying, things that didn’t go right, I kept my mouth shut, I didn’t say anything. You know what I’m saying, but it’s hard to keep your mouth shut when people just keep stepping on you ,you know what I’m saying? People can only take so much, you know what I’m saying. I still say that the UFC has a lot of good qualities and stuff like that. Yeah, I re-signed a contract with them, you know what I’m saying, it’s no secret, I got six more fights with the UFC and stuff like that but like right away they messed things up, right away, already I’m not happy with them again, right away.”
—
I came away from this interview a little depressed, a little alarmed, and a little concerned.
- Depressed because it seems Rampage squanders some of his ability because he has no discipline.
- Alarmed because this is a guy who can barely work with managers and business representation and now he thinks he has the discipline to be a promoter? He has enough trouble picking business partners that he doesn’t dump overboard every other year.
- Concerned because something doesn’t entirely seem right here with him. Even though I agree with him on several points that he made about his frustrations with doing business with UFC, the truth is that he’s not considering “the other side” at all in this equation. Let’s go see Rampage set up an office and try to promote an MMA show to draw 2,000 people, let alone a casino with 15,000. Let’s see him try to run an office of over 100 employees day-to-day. You know and I know how that would work out.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 13 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Rampage is the perfect example of a delusional fighter that thinks he’s more important than he really is. Basically the guy was made a star by the UFC and if it wasn’t for them would probably be in jail right now. The sheer ignorance and idiocy coming from his mouth shocks even me. And after he gets knocked the hell out by Rashad in a couple of weeks I wouldn’t be surprised if he has another mental breakdown and never fights again.
Didn’t UFC do exactly just that?
Rampage has had problems with PRIDE, WFA, and now UFC.
He’s just not very smart. That’s what it boils down to.
Does he realize with out the UFC he would have no notoriety to promote a card. Does he realize with out the UFC he would never had got the role in the A Team. Does he realize with out the UFC he would have been in big legal trouble.
No.
Do you realize that “without” is one word and questions end with question marks?
Page does make a few valid points but he seems to forget he would not me 1/1000 as popular as he is now and have the dam $$$ and fame he has now with out the UFC/ZUFFA .Zuffa has backed him and pushed him more as much as any other star they have. Hollywood was not asking him do do movies when he was in pride of fighting for the WFA now. Rampage also forgets when so many MMA fans were calling for his head after the car crash who was there buy his side helping him out ? Thats right it was Dana White, I wonder if back in the pride days if Sakikabara would of done the same ? I think we all know the answer to that one !
This guy is so full of himself, damn I really used to like Rampage, now he thinks he is gods gift to MMA, he is entertaining and a good fighter but he just acts so stuck up now.. I didnt like the way he treated King Mo, and a few other people.. Rashad could well beat his ass then he will have another breakdown and end up in Prison this time.
Good points by everyone.
Rampage’s comments make me wonder if TUF precipitated the Juanito situation.
Appreciate Page’s honesty (it that’s what it is) but I reckon, now that his cards are on the table, that the UFC will be secretly pulling for Rashad.
I never liked Rampage much personally, especially back in PRIDE days. People would look at me like I was crazy. “He is so funny…he is just joking around…don’t take him so seriously”. I never got the impression he was anything but 100% serious in what he said and 100% delusional as well.
Priceless the way Rampage talks about wanting to be a promoter with the clout and pay-outs of De La Hoya “in this motha” lol… I feel like the way a lot of African-American entertainers who grow up in the southern United States or other urban ghettos, see being their own boss as a sign that you made it. Now, this is common with a lot of people in entertainment, believing that salvation will be in the form of power and control. Love yourself Rampage, cuz we all love you! Sucks that he’s not happy with Dana. Also, no surprise that Dana expressed how he feels about Rampage wanting more money, and more money, and MORE MONEY!
[…] In a media interview for Fighters Only magazine, Rampage exacerbated his relationship with UFC in a bizarre tirade where he said that UFC doesn’t care about the fighters and that he would treat fighters more differently. It was an interview that was very hard for me to transcribe, but it was an interview that needed to be laid out there because some of the claims made by Rampage were unbelievable — especially in light of how UFC saved his bacon when he literally went on a vehicular rampage in Southern California. Fortunately for Rampage, the civil lawsuit brought against him by a woman who claimed that he caused her miscarriage was dropped. […]