Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson reveals rich Yakuza member’s jaw-dropping gift for his son in Japan
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has developed the reputation of a colorful raconteur. Chael Sonnen even hailed the 46-year-old as one of the greatest personalities in the sport who never got their due credit.
Jackson recently made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience where the pair talked in length about the fight game, his experience competing in Japan, and also how the UFC was allegedly exploited in the purchase of Pride Fighting Championships.
During the interaction, the California native narrated an account of his interaction with a rich Yakuza gang member. In the early 2000s, around the same time that Jackson competed in Japan, Yakuza, the nation's organized crime syndicate, operated various illicit activities including gambling, drug trafficking, and extortion.
Jackson recounted the first time he found out that the mob allegedly had something to do with Pride FC. He also narrated a story where a rich gang member with 'yubitsume', an act of self-mutilation in the Japanese mafia, gifted his son a gold samurai helmet. Jackson said:
"I had a friend out there. His name was 36 and the guy took a liking to me. He was super cool all [tattooed] up. I think he was super rich. When he found out that I had Japanese kids he said, 'Your son needs this'. It was like a gold samurai helmet."
He added his ex-wife confirmed the significance of the cultural souvenir, asserting its value to be between $30,000 and $40,000.
Check out the full narration below (2:10):
Quinton Jackson apologizes to Joe Rogan
Fight fans have wondered for long as to why a solid conversationalist like Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has never appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience.
Jackson claimed in the past that he didn't take kindly to Rogan highlighting a missing weapon in his arsenal. The UFC color commentator suggested that Jackson "wasn't checking leg kicks" and "wasn't throwing a lot of leg kicks."
These comments and the persistent criticism from fans got under Jackson's skin. However, the pair appear to be on good terms now, with the latest appearance on an episode of Rogan's podcast as proof of that. Touching back on the feud, Jackson said:
"I gotta apologize to you about that... You didn't hurt my feelings. It was nothing that you said. I'm going to clear it up for you right now. It wasn't nothing you said, it's the f***ing fans. When you said that, they all came to me on my social media."
Check out the video below: