Dec 04 2009
Rampage Jackson Says He’ll Fight Rashad Evans
I know that Dana White and Rampage Jackson were at odds. Unless they’re working us harder than Matt Mitrione worked everyone in the TUF house, their issues seemed real.
I want to quickly go back through the history of why they are even upset at each other.
- Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson were coaches on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which was filmed in the summer.
- Dana White deemed this the best show yet and mentioned that the heat between Rashad and Rampage was real and their fight would be one of the biggest in UFC history.
- The fight was tentatively scheduled for UFC 107 in Jackson’s home town of Memphis, Tennessee.
- Rampage Jackson tried out for and got the role for the new A-Team movie in the role of B.A. Baracus, which screwed up the timing for the fight with Rashad.
- Rampage and Dana White publicly gave their reasons as to why they each had a difference of opinion on whether or not the decision to take the movie role and postpone the fight was good for Rampage or not.
- White went public that Jackson wasn’t really making much money on the movie and the real money would come from a possible sequel and any merchandising deals from the movie.
- Rampage took offense to White’s criticism and said that he wouldn’t take the fight and was quitting the UFC.
- No one believed him.
That’s the story in a nutshell. Obviously, I’m summarizing and leaving out some details, but the bottom line is that Rampage decided to take the movie and Dana White didn’t like it.
So now, on the day after the last regular episode of The Ultimate Fighter season, Rampage says he’ll fight again.
Here’s what he said on his blog today (must have an account to view):
Now, I wanted to let my fans know that I’m going to come back to the UFC & finish my contract. Not because the haters are talking shit about me being scared of Rashad or Titties or anybody else. I’m coming back for my fans & to shut Rashad’s mouth up & shut Dana’s mouth up. Then after that I’m going back to doing movies & I might do a boxing match once a year just to stay in shape. Hate on dis!
Most of us never thought the fight wasn’t going to happen. There was simply too much money in it. And with the latest injuries delaying many of the bigger UFC main events, it was even more necessary for this fight to happen, especially after such a great build on The Ultimate Fighter.
Whether or not Rampage is shooting straight or just hyping the fight, I don’t really care. Because this is a fight I want to see. According to Rampage at least, we’ll see it.
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I’ll be honest, every time I watched an episode from this years season, and Rashad/Rampage started getting in each others faces, I got some of the biggest cringe moments in my life!! I really wanna see the fight, I just don’t wanna see them be pulled apart like little girls EVERY FREAKIN WEEK!!
Then with the whole Rampage/UFC split happened, and I was pretty bummed, out of all the big fights coming up, that was the one I was looking forward too the most, so I was pretty pissed to say the least. I always knew this is how it would start, rampage saying he was coming back to shut DW and Rashad up, DW and Rashad will bait him in the next few weeks, 3 weeks later we’ll have a date set for february…..yeah, see you guys there!!
Hahahahaha.
I hope they can do it sooner than later. And I also hope that Rampage’s movie responsibilities don’t mean that his training camp is shortened. I hope that both of these guys are at their best.
I really want to see this fight, but the sh*t talking that goes on between Rashad and Rampage is just funny. It was typically the same insults and childish antics over and over and over.
As for Rampage saying he will finish the contract then go back to movies, that sounds very similar to what Huerta said. Then after he lost to Gray Maynard he wanted a new contract. Rampage isn’t going anywhere. He will come back and if he wins he will want to make a run at the belt and if he loses he will be to motivated to quit for good.
If he wants to box, have him fight Anderson Silva in a boxing match.
This is as close as we’ll get to “High School Drama” in the UFC
Rampage’s hands are too slow and stiff to go to boxing.
^Don’t forget the fact that his movement is shit to, and that he has historically had a very tough times against guys who can move.
He can say whatever he wants so long as he and Rashad give us the payoff for this whole season we deserve.
Agreed.
[...] Rampage has stated that he’s going to do the fight, but didn’t give a time table. We updated that story. [...]