"The UFC bought WFA just for my contract" - 'Rampage' Jackson reveals he didn't want to fight in the UFC because of friendship with Tito Ortiz
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson was fighting in the World Fighting Alliance when the UFC acquired the promotion in 2006. Jackson recently revealed he wasn't originally interested in signing a UFC contract.
'Rampage' Jackson claims he was avoiding the UFC as his friend and training partner Tito Ortiz was a title contender in the promotion. Jackson knew a showdown against Ortiz would be inevitable if he signed with the UFC.
Jackson believes the Dana White-led promotion acquired the WFA with the specific intention of getting him on their books. During an appearance on the Yamatodamashii Podcast, the 43-year-old said:
"I wanted to stay away from the UFC because Tito and I was training partners, we was kind of friends. And I knew if I went there, they were gonna put me against Tito. The UFC, they bought WFA just for my contract. And when they bought the organization, I had to go to the UFC."
Watch Rampage Jackson's full appearance on the Yamatodamashii Podcast below:
The UFC's parent company, Zuffa, LLC, purchased select assets from the World Fighting Alliance in 2006. That included select fighter contracts, as well as trademarks and other intellectual property.
At the time, the WFA roster included names like Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Bas Rutten, Jason Miller and Heath Herring.
Did 'Rampage' Jackson fight Tito Ortiz?
Tito Ortiz's career was steadily going downhill when 'Rampage' Jackson joined the UFC in 2006.
After dropping a title shot against Chuck Liddell, Ortiz failed to win a single bout until 2011. Meanwhile, Jackson won the light heavyweight title, which steered him clear of the fight against Ortiz.
#OnThisDay in 2007: Rampage Jackson became the light heavyweight champ with this KO! 💥
📺 Watch more on @UFCFightPass https://t.co/8cM4SQffVR
Tito Ortiz and 'Rampage' Jackson were later expected to clash in their Bellator debuts in 2013. However, the fight never came to fruition as Ortiz pulled out due to an injury.
Three years later, Jackson was still interested in revisiting the fight. He said at the post-fight press conference at Bellator MMA: Dynamite 2:
"Tito, we were supposed to fight. I really didn't want to fight him then, but it's my job to fight. If Tito wants to fight, I think we'll come in and put on a good show. It'll suck to knock my friend out, but I gotta get a knockout. I gotta get a knockout. I've gotta knock somebody out. I've gotta knock somebody out. If Tito gets in the cage with me, you know I'm gonna try to knock him out. It would suck to beat up one of my friends, but if Tito wants to do it, then we can do it. If not, I ain't gonna cry." [h/t MMA Fighting]