Dana White and Quinton (Rampage) Jackson are like brothers and I expect them to patch up their differences eventually.
The war of words between Quinton (Rampage) Jackson and Dana White has reached an all-time high. Rampage has had enough and has quit the UFC, while White is calling him a baby. Who's telling the truth here?
Like any situation where a war of words has escalated into one of the parties taking drastic measures, many tend to side with the party who has had enough. Generally speaking, I'm from the school that believes the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
On Tuesday, Rampage posted on his website that he was none to impressed with the UFC and Dana White and he has quit fighting.
On Wednesday morning, White was a guest on the Carmichael Dave show and called Rampage a "grown man" who was "acting like a baby." The UFC president wished Rampage well on his movie career but also stated that the Memphis native isn't known for making "the best decisions."
This whole situation has simply turned into an avalanche of who can air their version of this dirty laundry next and whose pile is actually bigger.
Rampage's blog is an in-depth look at what many in the media have known as off-the-record stuff, but it seems to me that Jackson felt like he was backed into a corner and forced to come out swinging.
While sprinkling in some appreciation for what the organization has done for him, he also launches some eye-popping bombs. It starts of with his disagreement to fight Chuck Liddell, as he believed he wasn't promoted to his liking. He then states the fight vs. Dan Henderson was announced before he was even asked to fight Hendo. Jackson is then ticked off that after defeating Hendo, he was never given the Pride belt nor promoted as an undisputed champion.
He states his frustration that he was not given a rematch with Forrest Griffin, but it was after this fight that Jackson was charged with two felony offences, for driving recklessly in Orange County. Dana White was also the one who immediately flew to the jail house to post $25,000 bail to get Jackson out of custody. White took him under his wing, and I vividly recall how the Sportsnet team was surprised to see Rampage at the UFC 87 pre-fight press conference. It was just a matter of days since the felony charges, but one would assume that with White posting bail, he is literally responsible for Rampage at all times.
With the Griffin fight not happening, Rampage was upset that he was offered Wanderlei Silva, but he still took the fight. After the victory, he first turned down a title shot vs. Rashad Evans, but subsequently accepted, only to have Evans now turn the bout down. After Evans lost to Machida, Rampage wanted to fight for the title, but states he was told to first to do the Ultimate Fighter vs. Rashad, then he could fight Machida. After signing the contract, he states White changed his mind and that he had to fight Evans first, while White would spoon-feed Jackson what to say during the press conference(s).
With the agreement in place for Rampage and Evans to square off, the UFC went ahead and booked the date for Dec. 12, in Rampage's hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. This was a dream come true for Rampage, who has always asked to fight in front of his family and friends in Memphis. Everything was moving along fine until the role of B.A. Baracus was presented to Jackson. It is something that is near and dear to his heart, a role that has sentimental value to he and his Father. He states that he asked the UFC to push the Memphis date back, but in reality, this would affect much of what the UFC was building for the Rampage - Rashad feud.
By Jackson agreeing to take on the movie role, it sent the UFC into scramble mode re-arranging main events and searching for fill in fights for various cards. When you mess with Dana's business, there is very good chance he will lash out via the media, and this is exactly what he did. At UFC 101, White began explaining to all of the media in the scrum how upset he was with Jackson's decision. He went off about whether Rampage knew how much money he was giving up, whether he believed he was a true fighter or not and much more. White continued this for a few weeks, and after announcing that he and Rampage were no longer on speaking terms, it just about ended amicably with both parties clearing their differences.
But then Rampage got wind of some comments Dana made after their mending of the fences and posted he was done with the organization. He has had enough and will forego fighting for acting.
On the surface, it's difficult to dissect whose side one should take, but the reality for me is simply to let cooler heads prevail. Rampage is upset, yes, but he will be back in the UFC. He will fight Rashad Evans and will end fine with the organization.
The worst thing he can do is decide to go toe-to-toe with Dana through the media. This is a battle he will not win. In fact, he doesn't stand a chance in this fight. History has shown us that Jackson should quickly learn from the experiences of Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. Ortiz's image took an absolute beating while Couture simply could not tackle the UFC PR machine. If Rampage wants to win this battle, he's best to keep a low profile and not say much. If he doesn't, he will likely be eaten alive.
When this scenario is all said and done, Rampage will be back in the UFC, fighting in the Octagon, but I'm not sure if he will be the same fighter as before. We've seen what happens when may MMA fighters leave the sport for various reasons, then return after a long layoff. They just aren't the same. It's as if the sport's speed and technique has passed them by.
In a perfect MMA perfect world, Rampage would continue fighting and retire to Hollywood, but this is not the case. He has the chance of a lifetime to play B.A. Baracus and I for one, applaud his good fortune. To get paid well to do something far easier than your original job is always a plus. For anyone who's left a low-paying job to get paid heftily for something far easier (and something you love), you know what I mean.
Bottom line -- the UFC will go on without Rampage, but mark my words, he will return. I believe that. He and White are like brothers. I've seen it way too many times. They are some of the two biggest pranksters in the business and I for one am always on guard when either of them are around. This is a sibling rivalry at its finest, but while brothers fight all the time, family usually steps in and restores order in the household.
This case is no different than the rest.
