RealGM

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:10 am**

from his blog on Rampage-Jackson.com....

The UFC has done a lot for me but I think I have done more for them. The UFC bought WFA to get my contract & they saved my life, so I felt loyal to them. They pushed me into a fight with Chuck Liddel even when I clearly stated I wasn't ready to fight for the belt because the American fans didn't know me but I took the fight and didn't complain & after I won the American fans booed me for the first time which changed the way I saw them & it hurt me deeply.

Then before I can even get out of the cage they announced that I was fighting Dan Henderson without even asking me. After I beat Dan Henderson, I made history in becoming the first undisputed champion in MMA but was never even given the pride belt in the cage & I was never promoted as the undisputed champ. Later Anderson Silva was.

Then they had me coach TUF season 7 and fight Forrest and the fight was very controversial & normally when a fight is that close & controversial there is normally an instant replay. I can name a couple of instances. Instead they offered me the Vanderlei Silva fight which I gladly accepted even though I know it was a very risky fight for me to take because of all the drama that was happening to me at the time. I fought that fight with a jaw injury and then a couple weeks later Dana called me and asked me to fight Rashad. For the first time I said no, I didn't want to fight because it was such short notice & I wouldn't have had a long break between camp. Dana talked me into fighting Rashad anyway but Rashad refused the fight and so I had to fight Jardine as a favor to the UFC instead of getting my belt back (which wasn't even worth it to me financially).

Then I reinjured my jaw in the fight with Vanderlei & Jardine. Frank Mir gets hurt so they wanted to switch my fight from UFC 100 to the fight Frank couldn't make it to but I couldn't fight cause I needed jaw surgury. So they give Machida the fight against Rashad & they told me they want me to coach TUF season 10 against Rashad. That's why I wanted Rashad to win so bad but when Rashad got knocked out I told them I wanted to fight Machida for the belt but Dana told me if I coach TUF against Rashad that I could fight Machida afterwards cause this was a different type of ultimate fighter show they were doing. After I signed the contract Dana then changes his mind & says I have to fight Rashad & even told me what to say in the press & so my fans think I was scared to fight Machida. After all that I still never complained & I did it all.

Then this movie role came about that I have been trying to get for over a year & as soon as I found out I was close to getting it, I called Dana right away & asked to push the Memphis fight back just a month or so. I told him what this movie role meant to me. I told him that I used to bond with my father watching the tv show as a kid when my parents where still married & it represents the memories I had with my father when we lived together. My dad became an alcohalic & addicted to drugs & we grew apart. But after my dad got his life back together, I was so proud of my dad & I told him I would always take care of him in the future & make him proud of me. My dad & I are still very big fans of the show & I am basically doing this for the childhood memories I had spending time in front of the tv with my dad. Dana went on the internet & mocked me because of that & I still did nothing. Dana & I finally talked & we made up & then after that he went back on the internet & said some bulls**t & he was talking bad about the movie when information is not even supposed to be released & talking about payments which is not even true could really hurt my future acting career, which could very well last longer than my fighting career. I'm not like Randy Couture. My body has been getting so many different injuries that I wont be able to fight until my forties & neither do I want to fight that long. So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy.. so I'm done fighting. I've been getting negative reviews from the dumb ass fans that don't pay my bills or put my kids though college. So I'm hanging it up. I'm gonna miss all my loyal fans but hopefully they'll follow me to my new career & I will gain more loyal fans along the way. & all you hater fans out there can kiss my big black hairy ass! & anybody that don't like what I just said can come try to kick my ass!

I still feel the UFC is a great organization and I felt like I was very loyal to them but they didn't respect my loyalty but I wish the UFC the best. I did a lot of things for them. I wish no bad blood between us but I have kids & a family back in Memphis to provide for & thats all that matters to me!

Whoa....

I knew this wasn't going to end well....

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:23 am**

It's a tough situation. I hope people appreciate both sides. Rampage is torn between opportunities, with both sides involving cut-throat businesses.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 1:46 am**

I think he deserves all the **** he's gonna get here. He basically just ruined this season of TUF. He **** over Rashad big time too.

Seriously, douche move.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 2:15 am**

Unbelieveable... how many times can it happen where dana tells a guy something and then slams him behind his back... u know I gave Dana the benefit of the doubt with Tito, tito was an idiot... Big John McCarthy's situation seemed odd only in that it was just a couple comments that seemed to have set Dana off, so I figured something unpublicized happended underneath the surface... but alas, nope it was just those few comments that McCarthy made and now the best ref in the buisness doesn't ref in the "best" organization in the buisness... then comes Randy, and u know what, that's when my opinion changed from the fighters fault, to Dana's fault... this guy is a bully, I don't know how you can see it any other way... I'm not even a big rampage fan but how many times do these kinds of things have to happen. You can't just let top level guys walk away from your orginization...

But Dana just bullies guys constantly, Randy was right but he was backed into a corner, no respect from Dana... and that seems to be the way it is. It's very Vince McMahonesque... Couple all this stuff with the payouts this guy gives fighters and the UFC sucks... I mean unless your a top level guy, your getting 8, maybe 16,000 a fight, and if your not even a top 5 guy, your probably getting somewhere between 4-10 grand a fight, and you better win or else your cut... it's just brutal really. Randy et company are right, there needs to be some kind of fighters union or some kind of protection for these guys because dana's a cold hearted bully.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 2:24 am**

Wow... I don't know how truthful all of those statements are or to what extent, but it's not hard to believe what Rampage is saying.

I definitely don't blame him if he does indeed decide to call it quits and pursue a career in acting. I respect the guy as a fighter and am disappointed if I won't be able to see him in the octagon again, but he provided some great moments, and hopefully he's remembered more for those accomplishments than for his questionable behaviour outside of fighting.

If this indeed does come to fruition (which I am having a hard time believing) then hopefully this makes Dana soften up a bit in terms of how he treats his fighters. I know it's a cut-throat business but as any employer he should be more respectful to his employees. Especially considering the physical harm, blood and sweat these guys shed out there. I think Rampage should of at least acknowledged how the UFC was there for him when he had that mental breakdown earlier, because he has publicly stated his appreciation for Dana in his efforts in the past.

Either way this does screw up the LHW picture a bit... but all the more reason to root for Shogun!

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 2:31 am**

Its hard for me to feel bad for fighters making in one fight what i hope to make in a year. You cant shell out millions of dollars to fighters when the sport isnt even nationally recognized yet. People pass MMA fighters all the time on the streets and have no idea who these guys are, so money wise i dont buy the argument.

As for Rampage, i dont think we have seen the last of him fighting. Whether he fights again in the UFC or another promotion remains to be seen, but i think after the A Team role, he'll do some smaller parts and probably some straight to DVD's and be back to fighting again.

Also, as persuasive as they may be, Dana/Joe Silva likely werent gonna cut Rampage had he not taken any of the fights he complained about having to take. You can say no. And when you agree to fight a guy and Dana gives you the TUF show to hype it up, get more money behind it and then put it in your home town and decide you are doing a movie and then decide you arent gonna fight because some fans booed you? Thats weak.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:03 am**

It's partially the UFC's fault for not getting him locked into a fight contract with Rashad. They should also be paying the fighters more, so they don't have to chase down movie roles, but at the same time, Rampage is not one of the guys struggling. He's making millions fighting for the UFC, you can be sure of that.

I think it's pretty **** of Rampage to duck out on this fight in front of his home crowd though. Yeah, it's a nice story about his father, but something could have been worked out, I'm sure. He just doesn't want to fight, after he's allowed the UFC to invest this much in building this fight up.

And LOL @ him doing more for the UFC than they've done for him. You think he's getting movie roles fighting in the WFA? I also seem to remember something about him, some energy drinks, a monster truck with his god damn picture on it, a police chase, and a miscarriage. The UFC backed him 100% through that.

I'll support Rampage as a fighter if he fights, but not as an actor.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:47 am**

4ho5ive wrote:Its hard for me to feel bad for fighters making in one fight what i hope to make in a year.

how is that hard? fighters fight two or so times a year, for the 5-8 or so years of their peak career.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:02 am**

I am pretty surprised how many people are taking Rampage's side on this. He committed to a fight against Rashad that was the backbone of TUF 10 and then he just bailed on it because something better came along. That is bad business.

Rampage claiming he has done more for the UFC than the UFC has done for him is comical. Most MMA fans had no idea who he was until he got to the UFC, and being in the UFC is the only reason he got this movie role.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:23 am**

Any link to Dana ripping Rampage?

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:48 am**

Does Rampage fighting make TUF anymore appealing to anyone? I am watching it for the contestants.

UFC has made alot of money off Jackson. No way he gets the BA role without the UFC.

No matter what was really said or done behind closed doors, no one is forced to work for anyone. It is a business on both sides.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:33 am**

I'm not gonna lie, watching Rashad and Rampage bicker for 12 more weeks knowing they aren't going to fight at the end is definitely going to detract from my enjoyment of the show.

I'm obviously still going to watch, but considering the coaches are way better than any of the contestants, yes, I was pretty interested in their fight at the end.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:14 pm**

Maybe Rampage and Dana can get it on, just like how Tito would've wanted it.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:05 pm**

Nobody retires these days.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:21 pm**

Cammo101 wrote:I am pretty surprised how many people are taking Rampage's side on this. He committed to a fight against Rashad that was the backbone of TUF 10 and then he just bailed on it because something better came along. That is bad business.

Rampage claiming he has done more for the UFC than the UFC has done for him is comical. Most MMA fans had no idea who he was until he got to the UFC, and being in the UFC is the only reason he got this movie role.

It's a personal career choice he is deciding to make (again if the rumors are indeed true). He's doing it in a manner that's definitely going to piss off a lot of people (backing out of the Rashad fight) but since there's no iron clad contract stating he can't do this, it's more than within his rights.

If it was any other line of work where a receptionist decides he/she wants to become a Lawyer (for example) they are more than entitled to do so, despite animosity that might transpire between them and their employers.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:23 pm**

CPT wrote:I'm not gonna lie, watching Rashad and Rampage bicker for 12 more weeks knowing they aren't going to fight at the end is definitely going to detract from my enjoyment of the show.

I'm obviously still going to watch, but considering the coaches are way better than any of the contestants, yes, I was pretty interested in their fight at the end.

Same... if the two aren't going to fight, then the trash talk between them becomes somewhat pointless..

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:14 pm**

Shame to see it happen, part of me wants to call "throwing the toys out of the pram", and just finding any excuse to do the potentially higher paid and lets face it, easier route to cash, acting side of things.

However, again I can see why he feels a bit upset. I am not with him on his Liddel/Hendo points, ultimately he became hugely popular off those wins, but I do think he was herded into some roles with the Jardine fight and the fight with Rashard after TUF. If he had been given a title shot straight off the Jardine fight, rather than using the whole post fight face off as a marketing ploy (which lets face it you cant blame the UFC for that one) we wouldn't have this situation. Rampage would have had his title fight, he could then go do the movie, instead that fight got pushed and pushed etc..

I would not be surprised to see him back if nothing comes of the acting career. Its a bold move, since the A-Team movie has a lot of potential to be terrible as so many of these remakes can be, and just end up killing his career in acting off in one fell swoop. But I'd still pay money to watch Rampage, the guy is funny.

Posted: **Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:17 pm**

I agree with an earlier poster....I think he'll be back. If Tito and Dana can work it out, then Rampage and Dana will work it out after hes done with the A-Team movie.

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:36 am**

aren't these guys fighters? just kick the **** out of dana and take his wallet

Posted: **Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:24 am**

ansoncarter wrote:aren't these guys fighters? just kick the **** out of dana and take his wallet

Don't ever stop posting, y'hear?

RealGM

Rampage Retires? (update 9/25)

Rampage Retires? (update 9/25)

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