Reacting to Rampage

(A quick note: I have not yet been able to view UFC 103, although I do have it DVR'd. I had to travel for work Monday night, and just got back into town late last night... just in time to read up on Rampage's blog post. I hope to have my PPV and TUF thoughts lined up by the end of the week; lots to write about.)

Last night, word broke about one of this season's TUF coaches and former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage Jackson retiring. I wish this could be taken as a dirty rumor, but the insinuation is coming directly from the horse's mouth.

Below is the post, in its entirety, taken from Rampage's page:

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 bullshit & 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!

This is a tough piece to really comment on. Obviously I don't know the inner workings of the UFC's matchmaking structure, how fighters are offered fights, etc. That said, most fighters don't really come out in the open about such situations; this is a very, very rare instance.

It's no secret that Dana White, for all his savvy and bravado, can speak out of line. It's also no secret that he plays favorites. Some guys like Frank Shamrock seem to be on his permanent shitlist, and there are some who he'll always bend over backwards for. It's very possible that in the midst of Rampage's title reign, Dana wanted to push him as the man to beat, and in doing so made some hasty fights without consulting Jackson. It's also possible that while driving the marketing machine behind Anderson Silva as best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Jackson was forgotten as undisputed champion. (although to be fair, I've never seen Silva with his Pride belt, either)

If what Rampage said is true about being jerked around, then he does have reason to be upset with Dana White. But does that mean he has to retire? This is where I really feel conflicted. I have some issues with his statement, as well...

One is his characterization of the fans. This is kinda hard to take in stride and not comment on. Rampage states he was booed after beating Chuck Liddell. Well, Chuck was the UFC's sweetheart for many, many years at the time of their fight. Not to mention at that very moment, some people may have questioned his knockout. Chuck was completely conscious after the incident. A rowdy bunch of MMA fans griping about a knockout that was only clear to a well-trained eye? It happens in the heat of the moment. Especially against the face of the promotion.

Not only that, but Rampage was pretty much cheered clearly in each of following fights, with the exception of his third clash with Wanderlei Silva. The reason? The fans knew about his "personal issues."

Rampage conveniently leaves out the fact that Dana White and the UFC stood by him after his police chase last July. He neglects to mention that White went to bat for him at press conferences, communicating the rationale behind Rampage's actions to the masses. White could have very easily tried to sweep him under a rug and stay mum on the subject. Instead, he defended the man. The man who didn't have a lot going for him in the defense department. So while Dana White could have done more to accommodate Rampage in the fight department, he also stood by the man in his darkest hour.

Then there's The A-Team defense. I can respect the fact the man wants to do movies, but his lengthy analysis of what the old show means to him. I think it's great it brings back memories of his father, but it seems an awfully... extreme reaction to being offered the part. I'm not saying it's not true, but it hardly seems a fair reason to up and retire from the sport that made you when Dana goes off on it. The role does put a cramp in the plans for the Rashad fight, which would be a huge payday. Naturally, Dana runs an MMA promotion. The MMA promotion, in fact. At the end of the day, he should be concerned about putting on compelling fights, and it's logical he'd be upset when a big fight like Rampage/Rashad is jeopardized for any reason. Especially when it's not due to injury.

With all this said, I'm conflicted. The fight fan in me wants to see this blow over so a great competitor can go on fighting. The human side acknowledges that sometimes, you just want to do something different in life. There are equal amounts of valid points and holes in Rampage's blog, and it's polarizing when you really look at it.

Dana White appeared on Carmichael Dave's radio show yesterday to react to the story:

"Rampage is a grown man. He's acting like a baby right now, but he's a grown man. If he wants to be in the movie business, Rampage, good luck to you, man. I hope he makes it big, and I'm not being sarcastic. ... I hope the movie thing works out for him. If that's what he truly wants to do, and that's what he feels and that's what he thinks his career is, I wish him all the luck in the world... [He] has been a friend of ours. We really like Rampage. I'm not going to get into the battle of who's done what for who and all that stuff. We've done a lot for him and yes, he's been there and fought. The guys who come in here, they're fighters. That's what they do. We give them fights and they fight. And they make money and we make money. That's the way it works... I got so pissed off [about him delaying the Rashad fight for the A-Team movie]. I'm speaking my mind, he thinks I'm trying to ruin his movie career... He's a grown man. He can do whatever he wants to do."

While he may have perpetuated this entire situation, White is not necessarily in the wrong with his statement. Rampage has painted UFC into a corner, and as a fight promoter, you have to be upset when your big money fight for the end of the year evaporates.

The way I see it, both men have been impulsive in their reactions. Dana White didn't necessarily have to be so vocal about his disappointment with Rampage's decision, and conversely, Rampage could have filmed the movie and then made a decision on his future. Unless the Fertittas get involved, it looks like Rampage is done for the time being.

Then again, nothing is certain in MMA. A year ago, Jon Fitch was unemployed for a full 24 hours before being let back into the fold. Thales Leites was released, not released, and released again with in two days after UFC 101 last month. It's possible this could iron itself out.

For the sake of fight fans, I hope cooler heads prevail. I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say I would hate to see a great career cut short because of a disagreement.