‘Rampage’ Post Says Fighter ‘Done’ with UFC; White Reacts
Sherdog.com Staff Sep 23, 2009
An open letter posted Tuesday at Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson’s official Web site (registration
required) under the fighter’s name states that the former light
heavyweight champion “is done fighting” and is “hanging it up” due
to conflicts with the UFC.
A post on what is believed to be Jackson’s official Twitter account directed subscribers to Jackson’s site Tuesday as well.
Sherdog.com has not yet verified whether Jackson authored the Web
site post, as neither Jackson nor his representatives could be
reached for comment. UFC officials have not responded to calls and
e-mails, but UFC President Dana White did address the letter
Tuesday in a radio interview with Carmichael Dave on Sports 1140 on
KHTK AM. White told Dave he’d been given no prior warning of
Jackson’s alleged split with the promotion.
Earlier this month Jackson bowed out of a match against Rashad Evans at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn., Jackson’s hometown, to take a lead role in the major motion picture “The A-Team,” currently filming in Vancouver. The Dec. 12 bout would have followed Jackson’s and Evans’ appearances as rival coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” which airs for the next 11 weeks on SpikeTV and was meant to heavily promote the pay-per-view bout.
"He wants to do this thing, and he's like, 'Listen, man, this is really important to me. … There's some sentimental value here for me, me and my dad grew up watching ‘The A-Team’ together and we loved it,’” White told the media at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore. “I said, 'Guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now? He's thinking about beating your f---ing ass. He's not sitting around thinking about how him and his mom used to watch the f---ing 'Love Boat' together and (how) he wants to get the role of ‘Isaac the Bartender.’”
When Jackson’s withdrawal became official, White told numerous media outlets that he wasn’t speaking with the fighter, as Jackson had “f---ed me.”
Last Saturday following UFC 103 in Dallas, White said he’d “patched things up” enough with the fighter to begin plans for Jackson’s return following filming, but he was distressed that Jackson would not commit to re-scheduling the Evans bout in February.
In the post on Jackson’s site, the author lists a variety of grievances with the fight promotion. They include Jackson’s purported feelings that he was unfairly coerced into fights with Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson and Keith Jardine between 2007-2009, as well as allegations that the promotion did not fulfill promises to promote Jackson as the “undisputed champ” after his September 2007 victory against Henderson or allow Jackson to fight 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida as agreed to following his stint on “TUF 10.”
In addition, the post states that White instructed Jackson what to say to the media in reference to the delayed Machida bout.
During the Sports 1140 interview, White said Jackson had shown no interest in fighting for the title.
“Rampage Jackson told me he wasn’t interested in the belt. The belt caused him too many problems,” said White. “It’s not like he was going after Machida because he wanted the belt. He didn’t want the belt. … He just wants to fight and make money and feed his family is exactly what he told me.”
The post also says White “mocked” Jackson for his decision to take “The A-Team” role by revealing private conversations Jackson had with White regarding the fighter’s delicate relationship with his father. The author also claims that White not only inaccurately referred to Jackson’s potential movie salary publicly but also jeopardized the fighter’s future in acting by revealing the private information.
“So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy … so I'm done fighting,” the entry says.
White called the allegation “crazy.”
“Because I got so pissed off about him pulling out of the fight with Rashad -- I’m speaking my mind (and) he thinks I’m trying to ruin his movie career. It’s crazy,” White told Carmichael Dave on Tuesday.
White said that prior to the post, he’d spoken with Rampage as a “friend, to talk him out of making a bad decision.” White also said Jackson was “acting like a baby now, but he’s a grown man.”
“I have nothing bad to say about Rampage. He’s a grown man,” White told Carmichael Dave. “(If) this guy decides he wants to walk away from guaranteed good money right now, money that he’ll never have the opportunity to make for the rest of his life, because he wants to go off and make movies, he’s a grown man. He can do whatever he wants to do.”
A post on what is believed to be Jackson’s official Twitter account directed subscribers to Jackson’s site Tuesday as well.
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Earlier this month Jackson bowed out of a match against Rashad Evans at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn., Jackson’s hometown, to take a lead role in the major motion picture “The A-Team,” currently filming in Vancouver. The Dec. 12 bout would have followed Jackson’s and Evans’ appearances as rival coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” which airs for the next 11 weeks on SpikeTV and was meant to heavily promote the pay-per-view bout.
In August, White criticized Jackson’s intentions to choose the
movie role over fighting.
"He wants to do this thing, and he's like, 'Listen, man, this is really important to me. … There's some sentimental value here for me, me and my dad grew up watching ‘The A-Team’ together and we loved it,’” White told the media at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore. “I said, 'Guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now? He's thinking about beating your f---ing ass. He's not sitting around thinking about how him and his mom used to watch the f---ing 'Love Boat' together and (how) he wants to get the role of ‘Isaac the Bartender.’”
When Jackson’s withdrawal became official, White told numerous media outlets that he wasn’t speaking with the fighter, as Jackson had “f---ed me.”
Last Saturday following UFC 103 in Dallas, White said he’d “patched things up” enough with the fighter to begin plans for Jackson’s return following filming, but he was distressed that Jackson would not commit to re-scheduling the Evans bout in February.
In the post on Jackson’s site, the author lists a variety of grievances with the fight promotion. They include Jackson’s purported feelings that he was unfairly coerced into fights with Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson and Keith Jardine between 2007-2009, as well as allegations that the promotion did not fulfill promises to promote Jackson as the “undisputed champ” after his September 2007 victory against Henderson or allow Jackson to fight 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida as agreed to following his stint on “TUF 10.”
In addition, the post states that White instructed Jackson what to say to the media in reference to the delayed Machida bout.
During the Sports 1140 interview, White said Jackson had shown no interest in fighting for the title.
“Rampage Jackson told me he wasn’t interested in the belt. The belt caused him too many problems,” said White. “It’s not like he was going after Machida because he wanted the belt. He didn’t want the belt. … He just wants to fight and make money and feed his family is exactly what he told me.”
The post also says White “mocked” Jackson for his decision to take “The A-Team” role by revealing private conversations Jackson had with White regarding the fighter’s delicate relationship with his father. The author also claims that White not only inaccurately referred to Jackson’s potential movie salary publicly but also jeopardized the fighter’s future in acting by revealing the private information.
“So I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy … so I'm done fighting,” the entry says.
White called the allegation “crazy.”
“Because I got so pissed off about him pulling out of the fight with Rashad -- I’m speaking my mind (and) he thinks I’m trying to ruin his movie career. It’s crazy,” White told Carmichael Dave on Tuesday.
White said that prior to the post, he’d spoken with Rampage as a “friend, to talk him out of making a bad decision.” White also said Jackson was “acting like a baby now, but he’s a grown man.”
“I have nothing bad to say about Rampage. He’s a grown man,” White told Carmichael Dave. “(If) this guy decides he wants to walk away from guaranteed good money right now, money that he’ll never have the opportunity to make for the rest of his life, because he wants to go off and make movies, he’s a grown man. He can do whatever he wants to do.”
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