Cagewriter - UFC

Many of the details of Quinton Jackson's "episode" last year are still under wraps. The former light heavyweight champ was arrested and eventually convicted of a felony after a July driving rampage in Southern California. Jackson refuses to get into the whole deal and the causes. He snapped at a USA Today reporter last week on the UFC 96 teleconference for asking about his legal issues. He did tell Cage Writer on Wednesday that the negative influences in his life were gone but would not elaborate beyond that. UFC president Dana White isn't quite as guarded saying that Jackson's manager/trainer Juanito Ibarra was the issue and he could see it coming from a mile away:

"You know when you're around bad guys. You don't have to be a (expletive) rocket scientist," White said as he spoke about the day he had to fly to Southern California to get Jackson out of jail. "I knew (Ibarra) was the problem. I actually got into a huge fight with him in the parking lot of the police department."

Watch White speak about Jackson's ordeal and current situation:

White said the argument with the manager never got physical. He indicated that he's happy Jackson is in fight training camp the majority of the time now. It sounds like the UFC will make an effort to keep Jackson's schedule loaded with fights to avoid much down time.

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  1. BullWorth
    1. Posted by BullWorth Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:47 pm EDT

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    Rampage will OK until he fights for the belt then if he wins everything will be OK but if he loses that's when we will see what happens to him. He seems better now and able to deal with the stresses of not being the champ.
  2. Chuck J
    2. Posted by Chuck J Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:26 pm EDT

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    Rampage has had alot of ups and downs over the years. History says that he will repeat this trend. Hopefully, at 30, he has matured enough to stay on the straight and narrow. As much of a loose cannon as White appears to be in many of his speeches, I think he is an excellent influence for Jackson. White and the UFC do a good job of taking care of their elite fighters. And they continue to take care of many of them even after they are no longer title holders. Franklin, Hughes, Liddell... There are exceptions, but I think Rampage will be with the UFC for a long time.
  3. Mangler
    3. Posted by Mangler Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:12 pm EDT

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    Rampage will destroy Jardine, it may take a full round but it won't last long. Now if you want to see a action fight that will last a few rounds, watch the HBO boxing card this Saturday. Julio/Kirkland should be a dandy. For mma-only fans, i only mention this because Cofield went back into hibernation when it comes to boxing. Since yesterday, 10 mma blogs, 0 boxing. If it was the other way around you would blog mma on the boxing side. Mangler Out
  4. Matthew T
    4. Posted by Matthew T Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:25 pm EDT

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    Mangler, how much or is it free?
  5. me
    5. Posted by me Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:55 pm EDT

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    Well if you have HBO, it's pre-paid.
  6. Mangler
    6. Posted by Mangler Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:12 pm EDT

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    Matthew T If you meant the mma match, it's a PPV, about 45$ + tax Mangler Out
  7. The Great White
    7. Posted by The Great White Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:27 pm EDT

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    Funny how we all think HBO is "free"!
  8. rwl060
    8. Posted by rwl060 Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:57 pm EDT

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    I don't understand Rampage's reluctance to fight Evans ... Is it some kind of "brutha don't fight brutha" thing, or what? That would be retarded. I think Page stands a more than decent chance of regaining the title, assuming he can give up his Griffin obsession.
  9. plutothree
    9. Posted by plutothree Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm EDT

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    Rampage has hever expressed a reluctance to fight Rashad. He was quoted over the last couple of days saying he prefers the title shot for his next fight.

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