Re: Rampage just retired from fighting Got to say, that just sucks for everyone. I think if he goes exclusively to acting, things might not go well. B.A. Baracus is an awesome role for him, but he might turn into the Rock (if things go well), and I can't say too many good things about most of the Rock's movies.
Re: Rampage just retired from fighting shit, I know this can't last very long...Rampage is just crazy like that right??? RIGHT??? If this is for any longer than a year or two this really sucks. But this is also good in a way, more big name fighters need to take a stand against the UFC. For the longest time the UFC was able to get away with treating 90% of their fighters like shit by keep the top 10% happy and well paid, this could lead to some sort of domino effect if Dana doesn't change his ways.
Re: Rampage just retired from fighting The Rock gets paid well though, and he gets all the perks of being a movie star (like not having to eat punches for a paycheck, ability to get easy dinner reservations).
Re: Rampage just retired from fighting The Rock is an actor for entertainment value. He got into acting knowing he'd never win an Oscar. I don't buy this, at least not for the long term. Rampage will be back, I bet. After the whole thing with his trainer and then his incident in Orange County, Rampage just needs a long ass break. He's always had issues and right now, I think he is just trying to get his mind completely right and take a break from this fighting thing. He has said he hates training over in England because it requires him to be so far from his family for a long time, also. If I were a betting man, I'd just say Rampage needs a break from it all. This acting gig should be good for him. I bet he is out for about a year or so, and then we'll hear rumors of him making his way back.
Re: Rampage just retired from fighting I don't see Rampage "retiring" changing how Dana does business at all. As long as the UFC is the top organization out there, the biggest organization out there, Dana can run his business however he wants.
Could Rampage be doing this to get more attention? He loves media attention, loves being in front of the camera. Could he come out of retirement to fight Rashad? That gives the UFC another angle to market the fight.
Re: Rampage just retired from fighting Well Rampage talks about how the UFC expects him to fulfill a lot of unreasonable demands, such as quick turnovers for fights, agree to appear on TUF to help promote a fight that he didn't really want. For a large part, the UFC expects this of a lot if not all of their fighters, the difference is that 90% of the fighters get paid shit while the top tier get paid well so they don't complain about the UFC's practices. Rampage Jackson "retiring" was in part of because he was sick of the demands, and I am just saying it could lead of a domino effect on other fighters taking a stand for their fellow fighters. I mean we always hear fighters talking about camaraderie and what not with their camp mates but none of them seem to want to stand up for their camp mates rights. Hendo going over to Strikeforce could be the next step in this, who knows. I know I am reading waaaaay to much into this, but this whole retiring thing has left me a little frustrated. I mean Rampage does make some of good points, eg. Dana going public and trashing him even though Rampage is one of the UFC's most popular fighters. Did Dana every stop to think about the publicity he might get for the UFC after the "A-Team" movie comes out.
I do agree with you Chocolove, going public and trashing Rampage was absolutely fucking stupid and immature by Dana. Dana has hundreds of fighters willing to fight in the UFC, pinning no counter card for the Fedor/Strikeforce fight in November on Rampage is an absolute joke. If Dana wanted to, he could counter program. Still, I believe Rampage will be back eventually. Late 2010.
Probably not Rampage's #1 priority. The dude is mentally unstable. He needs a break. I guarantee he'll be back.
This will happen eventually. I'm sure of it. But my mind is racing about the possibilities of this... I think the last straw was probably the fact that Dana put Rampage's future acting career in jeopardy with his comments. Its one thing for Dana White to do his usual media shtick but these fighters have short careers and will need income later. Rampage is in the rare position where he has the opportunity to have a great career after UFC and Dana is fucking it up for him. Rampage has already had a really good career and lots of money from fighting. Its probably not that tough of a decision for him at this point whether to do the movie or "retire". The movie probably pays a hell of a lot better, its less demanding work, and has loads of potential. And if nothing pans out after the movie there won't be any shortage of promotions who will want Rampage's services. I dunno how binding UFC contracts are but if hes away from the UFC for a year would he be free to sign with Strikeforce? I think Rampage does have a good amount of leverage here. Chocolove makes a good point here- Rampage is already one of the biggest stars (I'd say hes the biggest) currently fighting in MMA from the point of view of the general American public who know nothing about MMA. Throwing him in a major studio film will only increase exposure to MMA and expand his star power. If he goes and signs with Strikeforce right after, the UFC loses out on a lot of money and new fans. Not to mention losing him is a pretty big blow to the UFC's strongest division. Rashad already got his ass whooped by Machida and Silva refuses to fight him. Machida isn't a very marketable guy outside of Brazil and having him beat the shit out of Rashad again and then the remains of the 205ers isn't going to be tremendously interesting to most fans. If you lose Rampage not only are you losing probably the most well known MMA fighter in America (by the non-MMA fan public mind you), you're losing several legit main event type fights that you can market, and you have dick as far as top contenders for Machida as long as Silva refuses to fight him.
Rampage with a massive post: As much as I dislike the fact that Rampage isn't fighting, I have to be honest I like reading these big posts he is writing about his feelings/behind the scenes stuff. Better than anything any interviewer can get. "The reason why I'm talking about all this is that I feel like this whole situation could have been avoided if UFC would have respected me more & rescheduled the fight about a month or more in my hometown, which I know fights can be rescheduled because of the Matt Hughes & Matt Serra was postponed due to injuries. Instead, Dana went on the internet & started talking bad about my decision. All we had to do was come to a certain type of argreement or understanding, which later came after a lot of trash talk from Dana. My manager flew to Vegas & talked to them & tried to work things out like a MAN. & still I keep quite & I didn't talk trash back on the internet. The only reason why I'm even talking now is because I feel like I owe my fans an explanation because I am a MAN, a real MAN. Yeah I made good money with the UFC more than Pride, but I made both shows more money than they made me. I didn't care too much about Pride treating me like crap cause I was an American in a Japanese company. Now in my own country, I feel like I'm being disrepected. Everything is not about how much money you make. You could be the richest man in the world but if nobody repsects you then it don't mean shit. You can't buy respect. It should be earned. & thats what I'm all about. Now Rashad wanna put his two cents in. Rashad remains to be a boy under me. He wins a few fights, and some of them I thought the judges fell asleep during the fight & woke up & saw him playing with his nipples & guessed he won. He knocked Chuck Liddel out when Chuck wasn't even the same man anymore. & now he thinks he's on my level. Yeah he talks about how he beat Forrest & I lost. But when I fought Forrest that was the worst Rampage I had ever seen. & I still know in my heart I won that fight. So now he's Mr. All Cocky & says I got a big mouth & talk a lot of smack. If my memory serves me correctly, he's the one that got into my face after the Jardine fight & started talking trash when he was the one that was originally supposed to fight me that night, but he told Dana on the phone he didn't want to fight. He wanted to keep his belt longer. Now, I'm not saying wether or not I would have beaten Machida, but I wouldn't have went out like a bitch like the way he did. So I'm the one that was looking forward to the Rashad fight the most. I have always been a fighter my whole life. As a kid my family treated me like shit which made me the person who I am today. This is why when I meet people I treat people the way I want to be treated (unless they approach me wrong or piss me off). I grew up thinking that I wasn't even important to my family which made me not even care about myself. That's why I can get knee-ed in the face 15 times & come back for more. That's why I can get my legs seriously hurt in a fight & still try to win. Thats why I can get my ribs broken in a fight & not tap out because my whole life I never thought I mattered to anybody or anybody cared about me. But now I have kids that love me & care about me & I'm not used to people caring about me but it feels good! I'm a very loyal person. Wolves are the most loyal animals on the planet. I was very loyal to the UFC, but now I owe all my loyalty to my kids... the ones who really care for me. The majority of my fights on the street I fought for free & they all were with emotion. I am a fighter, I will always be a fighter but my professional fights that were fought with emotion, I ended them all in devestating fashion. I am the wrong fighter that should fight pissed off professionally. I don't even consider it fair. So Rashad says he will fight me for free. I will gladly meet him at any gym & fight him just to shut his mouth up. & I mean that for real! When I told Dana I did not want my belt back & that I just wanted to make money, it was around the time when they gave me Vanderlei & actually it was around the same time when my mind wasn't right (my mind was at TRUCK status) & that's the way I felt because I felt I had been robbed out of my belt. After the Jardine fight I did want my belt back because my family was so proud of me when I was champion & I want to make my family proud cause now I finally feel like my family cares about me & they accept me & this is what I've been wanting my whole childhood... for my family to like me. If I got to beat some ass for my family to like me, so be it. But now, I'm a grown man & I'll be damned if anybody disrespects me. I'm not having it, it's not happening!"
Hmm, on one side, I can understand everything Rampage is saying about the lack of respect that the UFC has given him, but on the other hand Rampage expecting the UFC to just reschedule an event theyve spent a lot of money promoting is a little unreasonable.
The more Rampage lists off the times he feels he's been slighted by everyone, the more I wonder how someone so emotionally fragile could make it so far in the fight game.
