Rampage Speaks Out Since His Arrest
MINNEAPOLIS – Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since his July 15 arrest in Costa Mesa, Calif.
The highly popular mixed martial arts fighter was arrested by Costa Mesa police following a chase and booked into the Orange County jail on suspicion of felony evading, hit and run and reckless driving.
One of the persons Jackson allegedly sideswiped on the 55 Freeway was 38-year-old Holli Griggs of Huntington Beach, Calif. On Aug. 1, her fiance, Bill Krebs, told the Newport Beach Daily Pilot that Griggs, who was 16 weeks pregnant with a boy, suffered a miscarriage.
UFC president Dana White, who flew to Southern California to be with Jackson on July 15 after learning of the arrest from the Internet site TMZ.com, brought Jackson to the news conference Thursday to promote UFC 87 at the Mall of America.
White introduced Jackson to a large crowd and said the fighter’s problems were caused by failing to eat, drink and sleep and by consuming too many energy drinks. Jackson, normally a great public speaker, made brief remarks at the podium, then sat behind White at the news conference.
Later, after signing autographs for fans, Jackson spoke briefly with Yahoo! Sports about his troubles.
“I’m not allowed to say everything,” Jackson said. “I was hurt by some personal problems I had. It caused me not to eat and not to sleep. Emotional, yeah.”
White said part of Jackson’s problems was the result of a split with trainer Juanito Ibarra, with whom he was very close. White said the two split after Jackson’s July 5 loss to Forrest Griffin in Las Vegas.
He wouldn’t disclose details other than to say the split had noting to do with fighting.
“That was a big part of his problem, too,” White said of the split with Ibarra. “I’m not going to comment on that. That’s between them. But that’s another big negative thing that’s happened in his life that has messed him up too.”
Jackson declined to say much when quizzed about Ibarra. When it was noted that Ibarra seemed like a father figure, Jackson grimaced.
“That’s what hurts,” Jackson said. “I can’t say. You guys will find out soon enough.”
Prosecutors have yet to file charges against Jackson. White contended that Jackson simply knocked the mirror off Griggs’ Cadillac Escalade and said he believes Jackson will face no legal issues over the loss of Griggs’ unborn baby.
Jackson would not address that issue, but White was more than willing to do so.
“I don’t think he does (have legal issues) any more,” White said. “The reality is, once we got the diagnosis of what happened, they psychologically evaluated him for over 72 hours. The police were very involved in this whole thing. The place he went to, the police took him to. They diagnosed him and treated him and then he was fine. The reality is, had he been drunk or on drugs or just went out on a rage and terrorized like he did, I think it would have been bad. What he did was, he literally was sick and had delirium.
“That car wreck? The reality is, he knocked her mirror off. The airbags didn’t open. There was no trauma done to her. You know what I mean? That one is out there like, ‘He hit her and she lost her baby.’ It was a week later. He knocked her mirror off her car. Rampage said, and he’ll tell you when you talk to him, ‘I care about everybody. I care about all life. I would never hurt anybody.’
“That’s the way he is,” White said. “Now he’s in a situation where somebody’s trying to civil sue him and make some money. Absolutely not. Absolutely not, this is not a criminal thing. No way. I’m not lawyer and I’m no judge (but) this stuff will be worked out in the court.”
Jackson said he already has begun training and is eager to fight again as soon as possible. He said he has been working with a boxing coach to improve his striking.
He said he thought he deserved to get the decision against Griffin but said he did not go into a funk because of the loss.
“It was a close fight, but I thought I won,” Jackson said. “I thought I did enough to win. I felt like I won the first round. I feel like I won the third round, and I felt like I won the fourth round. I felt like he won the fifth round, second and fifth. That’s how I feel, but I’m not a judge.
“It is what it is. I don’t care about fights, because I’m a fighter. That’s not going to be the last fight I lose. Who cares about that? I don’t care about winning the fight. Who cares? I’m going to come back, train hard and make more money.”
Jackson said he is looking forward to fighting again because it’s how he supports his family.
“That’s something that people really don’t know about me is that it’s always a 50-50 chance you can go out there and lose a fight,” Jackson said. “Who cares? It’s a fight. It’s not the end of the world.”
He said he was reluctant to speak because “I don’t want to get into trouble with anybody.” He thanked White and the UFC and said, “I love all these guys in the UFC. They’ve been great in supporting me. I’m happy to be out here and be a regular person again.”
