"That's the way I rumble. I do my thang!"
On Seis de Mayo, day after the thrilling Mayweather/De La Hoya bout, I had the inkling that boxing was dead. After watching UFC 71, I now know who killed it......Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Point blank.......He's a beast.
I've watched Rampage long before the UFC was on the scene. I had a friend in Japan send me videos of this crazy, barking wrestler that was destroying veterans of the PrideFC. In the most technical of sports, Rampage was freestyling with little formal training. I mean reversing arm bars with sheer brute force and WWF slams (on GP, I can't call it WWE). From the first time I saw him fight, I knew it was only a matter of time before world domination. (I called the fight.....but never posted my blog beforehand. No seriously......I picked the "underdog".)
I knew he was working on his boxing, grappling, wrestling, jujitsu, speed, and conditioning, but I didn't know about the charisma. This is why Rampage is going to take the UFC to the next level. As fans of the sport, we need an icon. We need someone to standout as a symbolize of our hopes and dreams. We need a modern-day Ali. We need Quinton Jackson.
Give credit to where it is due. Dana White has cleaned up the sport. Chuck Liddell has made the brutal, savage sport more humane and more intelligent (80% of the fighters have college degrees). Ticket prices are up and celebrities fill the front row. The sport is practically tamper proof. There is no amount of $ that would get me in the cage. I'd rather fight Tyson in his prime. Fixing a UFC fight is suicide.
Talk about protecting the fighters. There is a mandatory suspension for UFC 71 fighters until 6/17. Dana's even changed the rules to make it safer and more exciting. They even bought the competition....the whole damn league......Ballin'. Now, UFC and PrideFC are going to be a world wide sport. It could rival soccer (more so than any other sport). This isn't a sport for violent, crazy idiots. It is the ultimate kinetic chess. More complex than boxing with so many other skills required. Mayweather said the "UFC ain't $hit". Dana asked him to make the fight happen and the greatest boxer of all time apologized for even uttering such foolishness. Don't take my word for it, lets look at the numbers:
1M PPV buys (UFC 71)
$4.4M gate proceeds (UFC 71)
UFC's 2006 PPV revenues were almost $223M
2006 - $177M for boxing on HBO
2006 - $200M for WWE
The fight could have been bigger. Even more hyped. If Rampage had more fights, the build up would have been ridiculous. Even Rampage thought he should have had more UFC fights. He apologized for making Chuck look bad. The crowd didn't know any better and never stopped booing. Even after the devastating chin check. 2007.....year of the upset. It wasn't an upset to me. It just got some people upset.....Chuck...Dana. Dana and Chuck are like Diddy and Biggie. They need each other. When Chuck lost the first time to Rampage, Dana had bet PrideFC $250,000 that Chuck would win the entire tournament.
When will fighters stay out of the lime light before the fight? Tarver does Rocky, Liddell does Entourage.....when are they going to learn? Chuck admitted to begging Dana to hookup the deal to be on his favorite show. I love Ari too, but Ari isn't giving away any of that fuck you money.
Chuck, you were the best that's ever done it. You are a very respectable and gracious champion, but please...no re-rematch.
Rampage, you're a celebrity. Please don't fall into the trap. Turn down any and all pre-fight movies/guest appearances. And I know you want that Bentley, but don't buy it. You want those grillz for your family and your shoes. No bling please. At least don't buy it. Have your agent get it for free. You're a celebrity, you don't have to pay anymore.
For those who don't know. Watch this clip. He's a beast!
For those who think he's an a$$. Watch this ultimate display of sportsmanship and humility.
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