Rampage done for Good?

[johnnybluenose]

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
by Sherdog.com Staff

19886
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.

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.”

Source

 

[knvb]

Deja Vue, weird

 

[Bluenose]

i think he's gone off to find out how far forrest has run so far

 

[Tim Berners-Lee]

he will be fighting by feb

 

[bergamascho]

i think he's gone off to find out how far forrest has run so far

Hahaha that was easily one of the funniest things I have ever seen in professional fighting. Right up there with Tyson biting Holyfield's ear.

 

[johnnybluenose]

....and threatening to eat his children

~PraisthBeToAllah!

 

[girth]

This is funny!


"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.’”

 

[johnnybluenose]

Dana is the man, love him or hate him he is the most involved and sales-ey commissioner of any of the sporting brands these days, and his talking without calculated thought process first generates legendary stuff.

 

[Kevin Hector]

Really who cares?

 

[girth]

Really who cares?

Sorry Hector...no curling or badminton news

 

[johnnybluenose]

Really who cares?

More people globally care about MMA and UFC than NHL, the NBA, and other "Big Sports" and MMA has KO'ed Boxing for quality and quantity of PPV events.

 

[The Franchise]

More people globally care about MMA and UFC than NHL, the NBA, and other "Big Sports" and MMA has KO'ed Boxing for quality and quantity of PPV events.

so more people care globally about MMA then soccer aka "big sports"....hmmmm

****em he isn't any good anyway. WWE needs a new Junk yard dog!

 

[The Franchise]

Really who cares?

for all your lasted updates KH go here.... BURGER KING® ? HAVE IT YOUR WAY®


PS Don't you and Burger King have the same motto?

 

[Polska]

for all your lasted updates KH go here.... BURGER KING® ? HAVE IT YOUR WAY®


PS Don't you and Burger King have the same motto?

who the fuk is this guy?


BURGER KING® ? Subservient Chicken

 

[Polska]

he shook his finger at me when i told him to scratch his balls

but he did go pluck himself

 

[johnnybluenose]

so more people care globally about MMA then soccer aka "big sports"....hmmmm

****em he isn't any good anyway. WWE needs a new Junk yard dog!

"Big sports", the way I was referring to them was in NHL, NBA, MLS, etc etc etc.

If I had to rank (A SWAG, Scientific Wild Ass Guess ) all sports globally for attendance and TV numbers I would probably go (Generally speaking of course, not league/event/tourney specific)
1. Soccer
2. Cricket
3. Tennis
4. Golf
5. Rugby
6. American Football
7. Baseball
8. MMA
9. Boxing
10. Basketball
(Honorable mentions go to Gymnastics, Auto Racing, and Figure Skating, which are all questionable as far as what is "Sport", games and art yes... Sports, perhaps, but I don't rate them as such.)

 

[kjohnsob]

about.com says

1. soccer
2. cricket
3. field hockey
4. tennis
5. volleyball
6. table tennis
7. baseball
8. golf
9. american football
10. basketball

based on "have you watched or played in the last year"

 

[johnnybluenose]

table tennis is not a sport...

and zillions of people play a bit of basketball, but it is nowhere near anything in my top 10 for viewership or revenue generation...

 

[freddy]

hmmm - imagine that - controversy, threats . . . All build to attention and media. Do you think this isn't all planned out? gimmeabreak.

fight in February - game on. for sure.

 

[Polska]

"Big sports", the way I was referring to them was in NHL, NBA, MLS, etc etc etc.

If I had to rank (A SWAG, Scientific Wild Ass Guess ) all sports globally for attendance and TV numbers I would probably go (Generally speaking of course, not league/event/tourney specific)
1. Soccer
2. Cricket
3. Tennis
4. Golf
5. Rugby
6. American Football
7. Baseball
8. MMA
9. Boxing
10. Basketball
(Honorable mentions go to Gymnastics, Auto Racing, and Figure Skating, which are all questionable as far as what is "Sport", games and art yes... Sports, perhaps, but I don't rate them as such.)

where is poker?