When a former MMA champion confessed to cheating in the UFC: "I did it a couple of times"
A former MMA fighter and revered champion admitted to having broken the rules in a couple of UFC fights. The athlete recalled doing the same during their time in Japan as well.
The fighter in question is ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. He extensively fought in Pride FC in Japan between 2001 and 2006. 'Rampage' hasn't competed since Dec. 2019, and many believe he's effectively retired from the sport.
In an edition of his JAXXON podcast back in April 2024, the former MMA champion hosted UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape. Incidentally, Kape competed in Japan's Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF), an organization many regard as the spiritual successor to Pride FC.
Kape spoke to Jackson and podcast co-host Bear Degidio about his initial setbacks inside the octagon. The flyweight partly attributed his two-fight losing streak at the start of his UFC career to the slippery canvas. Apparently, 'Starboy' found a way to combat that challenge but didn't wish to expound upon that.
Alternatively, Jackson suggested he no longer competes and can, therefore, speak about the extralegal methods he used. Apparently, 'Rampage' utilized resin to gain traction on the slippery canvas.
The Unified Rules of MMA prohibit the application of such substances to any body part -- even the pre-fight facial application of Vaseline is to be conducted under the supervision of personnel authorized by the state's athletic commission.
Regardless, 'Rampage' claimed he applied resin on his feet. He implied that if he forgot to use that prep method, he'd try to fight on the canvas' painted part for greater grip. Indicating that he occasionally did it in his fights in America too, Jackson stated:
"What I do is probably illegal in America ... I can say what I do 'cause I don't do it no more. You know, I first started noticing the canvas was slippery even when I was fighting in Japan ... You know what I used to do? I used to go to the sports store, and I used to get this resin for handball. What I did was I put it on the bottom of my foot, then I stepped in a plastic bag, and then I put my socks over it."
He added:
"And 'cause in Japan, they don't have a commission, so it wasn't against the rules where they probably frown upon it. And so when I take my sock off, I take the whole plastic bag off in the sock. Nobody saw it. I did it a couple of times in the UFC, too, and they never caught me. And it makes it sticky. But if I forgot, I had to stay in the middle of the paint."
Check out Jackson's comments below:
Watch the podcast episode below (*comments about the canvas at 33:35):
UFC icon Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson addresses an important prep method he used
Quinton Jackson unified the Pride FC middleweight championship and the UFC light heavyweight championship. 'Rampage' also secured the Bellator Season 10 light heavyweight tournament championship. On the JAXXON podcast in Aug. 2024, the MMA legend notably recounted that the UFC generally doesn't give its fighters a warm-up matchup against a relatively lower-tier opponent.
'Rampage' feels Pride FC was better therein, as they'd give you a warm-up match when coming off a tough loss or injury. Jackson recalled having behind-closed-doors, full-fledged, warm-up MMA fights to psychologically recover from a defeat/injury before his next UFC fight. The 46-year-old said:
"Do it a couple of months before your fight, so you can heal up or something like that."
Watch Jackson's assessment below (23:05):