Shortly after Rampage Jackson wrote on his web site that he was retiring from mixed martial arts to pursue a career in acting, UFC President Dana White said he was disappointed in Jackson for "acting like a baby" -- but he added that he understands Jackson can do whatever he wants with his life.
"Rampage is a grown man," White told Carmichael Dave on the radio station KHTK (audio here). "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."
White said he didn't get any advance warning from Jackson about the surprise retirement announcement and that he still likes Jackson personally, but that if Jackson wants to leave the UFC, White can't stop him.
"I just found out, too," White said. "Rampage 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."
White also said he understands that Jackson was upset with him for belittling his decision to turn down a fight with Rashad Evans and instead join the cast of the upcoming A-Team movie -- but White doesn't regret speaking candidly about his thoughts on Jackson's career decision.
"I got so pissed off," White said. "I'm speaking my mind, he thinks I'm trying to ruin his movie career."
White disputed Jackson's claims that he was pressured into fighting Evans instead of UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, but other than that he didn't take issue with anything Jackson has said. As far as White is concerned, it's Jackson's decision to make."He's a grown man," White said. "He can do whatever he wants to do."
What do you think of the Rampage Jackson-Dana White dispute? Tell me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.
Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Umm how many A-Team movies is he going to make. He should fight while he still can. I hate athletes who do not take full advantage of there sport. Try working for $40,000 a year. Than he will see how the rest live.
Another Dana White outburst? Quick, Somebody call a WAAAAAmbulance!
I find it incredible that some people are dismissing this as just another pr stunt and that Rampage will be back just like all the other disgruntled fighters before him.
Will Rampage return? Possibly, but it's impossible to ignore the seething anger that emantes from his quitting post.
With one stroke, Rampage pretty much destroyed the credibility of the latest TUF show. A huge part of the show was enjoying the sometimes bitter rivalry between the coaches, knowing soon they would settle the differences in the octagon and someone would be forced to eat crow.
That entire aspect has now been lost.
Other fighters who were upset and left the UFC usually did so with some grumbling here and there but none have thrown this huge a monkey wrench.
And it all goes down because Dana White seemingly just cannot keep his mouth shut when it is most important to do so. He's ridiculed Rampage in nearly every interview. Even a guy like Rampage, the constant jokester, can only take that disrespect but for so long.
I don't blame the guy at all and contrary to most of what I have read, I don't think he has any intentions of returning to fighting.
QJ was already not going to fight. Nothing Dana did had any effect. QJ is just acting like he is quiting to buy time to shoot the movie without having to answer to Dana White. Dana is trying to save the memphis show what was created in QJs home town. He is also trying to save TUF show.
Mr T is a 1 hit wonder who is out of work and has been broke for 20 years. How can QJ do any better playing a watered down version of Mr T? QJ should do the movie but not at the expense of his fighting career. He would have made million son the Memphis show alone.
Ever since Machida won the title..Rampage has been scared of fighting..
Rampage owes it to those that bailed him out of his legal problems to go out and perform...
It's not like he's being under paid...
Dude, do you know he was paid a little over half a million for the Forrest Griffin fight? Compared to the 10 million that Mayweather makes per fight, that's B.S. MMA is way more entertaining than boxing, yet boxers make more. WHY? Because Dana White does what he wants to and doesn't give a f@ck about his fighters. UFC made like 50 million off that fight(with pay per view),both fighters deserved at least 2.5 a piece. Dana is a pig.
White talks all that crap about Rampage, when he takes 80% of the money from the gate and pay per view. He is a modern day DON KING, except he owns the league. He makes his own rules and robs everyone of their purse. Fedor just left and more will follow until he pays fair money for GREAT FIGHTS. These guys are gonna end up WORSE(physically) than boxers because they do more damage. They need money for after retirement.
Great post.Diana is pond scum like Don King and that kind of lowlife sort.He could bloody care less about Kimbo whom i admire for his achievements and his guts=bottle.And White could care less about Rampage or his kids or any other ufc fighter!!!!!Diana cares for one person ... Diana.
He is sewer bilge.I hate that wanker.
dana white is a salesman. he will say anything to drum up drama and promote the ufc in a good light. can we take anything dana says serious when he has called fedor a joke. everytime i turn around, there is dana on a blog or website running his pie hole about this and that. just stfu and make fights happen.
First and foremeost...rampage "retiring" is a baby-like move..dana white is right. Just cuz theyre not rolling over and just letting him get everything he wants 10/10 times, hes getting all worked up.
You want a title shot at machita? fight for it. Since hes been in the ufc he hasent really had that MANY fights...the ones he has were amazing, but hasent fought too many times. I agree with the statement Stainlessteel said about him ruining the credibility of TUF by us now knowing there wont be a fight between him and rashad.
But, who knows, this could all indeed be a PR stunt, and if they have a fight, it'll draw in more ppv buys then ever before. Title shot or not, I would LOOOVEE to see him fight rashad, and machita. Especially the machita fight..u have a technical guy going up a non technical beast like rampage...i think itll be very interesting.
Either way..i call it now...80% chance he doesent retire..
Most of the "GREATS" come back after their first retirement.
Are you by chance .....DIANA WHITE???You loopey bum kisser.
White is a dopey git and so r u.
wow #3, haven't you figured out what comes out of dana's mouth is what he wants his new flock of sheep fans to think. it's all coming undone, rampage is exposing all this mess as a hoax. i've been saying it, it's all a set-up. it's become a scripted show. and as far as rampage's underpaid, yeah he was and it went right to dana's 10% and the rest to the fertitas. he should have got an immediate rematch against forrest for that lame way of losing a title. they just try to market fighters, don't you get it. rampage will always sell tickets. they need TUF stars to add more marketing power to their brand. forrest, rashad. look what happens when they face real opponents. duh!
These conspiracy theorists kill me. EVERYTHING to them, is a setup. Lorenzo Fertittta sneezes in the morning, and it's because Dana White planned it. Please.
This has nothing to do with fighting Machida/Rashad or anyone. It has EVERYTHING to do once again, with a fighter feeling disrespected and unappreciated by Dana White.
Sometimes yes, it would make great press to throw out the snappy one liner, that Fedor's manager is a 'moron', or that Silva's fight was an 'embarrassment' or like now, that you can't fix 'stupid.'
That is the classic pose of a bully. Knowing full well those fighters dare not respond in kind because they fear the consequences.
But it eventually hurts the company's bottom line because one day, those fighters eventually get sick of the bully tactics and strike back, saying the hell with the consequences.
Rampage would not be the first guy in the US to basically tell his boss to take this job and shove it.
Until someone somewhere can get Dana White to realize that these public outbursts are beginning to impact the UFC negatively, we will continue to see more and more fighters take the same path as Rampage.
Being President of the UFC does not give you license to act like a moron, no matter what the fanboys say.
DON'T BLAME HIM FOR WANTED TO AVOID EVAN AND MACHIDO. WAIT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO FIGHT.
white should fight rampage - the it would be like wrestling entertaiment
So why doesn't White climb into the ring with Jackson? Yeah, I thought so. White is low life punk.
i cant believe what i'm reading ... true mma fans are seeing the light - go page!
the ufc picks our pockets every chance they get and under pay their fighters. no one can choke a fighter like the ufc organization.
there needs to be a fighters union.
ALL UFC FANS ARE IDIOTS....DONT TAKE THE CRAP THAT DANA WHITE HAS WRITTEN MONTHS IN ADVANCE....THIS MMA OUTFIT IS A CIRCUS...
ALL UFC FANS NEED TO WAKE UP FAST...THIS IS ALL FIXED...
Diana White makes my skin literally crawl.Diana the proud atheist cares about one entity on this planet ...about dirty DIANA ....THATS IT.
I do like Rampage....alot.Hes my faves with Fedor,Spider and Lyoto.
If he wants to leave the mma scene its his choice.Dealing with that goofey tuf show and dirty DIANA would make anyone want to quit.
Fedor did not join the ufc because his agent loathes dirty DIANA.
What difference does it make what religion Dana White is? Stick to the MMA and leave religion (and politics!) off this board.