Quinton "Rampage" Jackson claims he's been told he can leave UFC after next fight

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The saga continues with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and his attempts to get out of the UFC. In yet another tirade on Twitter, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion says money isn't a factor in his desire to leave; in fact, he says he feels a lack of respect over the last several years from the organization.

"Let me clear things up [for] my fans, it might take [two] tweets!" Jackson began this morning (and it would take decidedly more than two tweets. "I'm upset cause I've been fighting hurt [for] a few years now, cause I have kids... The UFC knew I was hurt, [and] almost every fight I was hurt... but instead of saying 'thanks [for] not pulling out, they talk s*** about a poor job I did."

"I never missed weight [before], but when I do, nobody [stopped for] a second [to] ask if I was hurt, y'all just quick [to] talk s***, so I'm done with them after [my next fight]. I'm not complaining about money ,cause I'm about [to] make a lot less money now, but at least the people I fight [for] will appreciate what I do [for] mma."

Rampage also says the UFC's attempts to book him on the January Fox card in Chicago - instead of in Japan as he desired - were an impetus for his current attitude.

"Y'all know I had [to] fight [to] get on that card, I wasn't gonna let a doc tell me not [to] fight on that card bro, I missed Japan," he said. "Dana said yes [to me fighting in Japan], but then he tried [to] put me on a Fox card [in] Jan. I was thinking of leaving after that happened."

His threats to leave may wind up coming to fruition as well, as Rampage said White himself has told him he could leave after his next fight.

"I have [one] more fight on my contract [and] Dana White said [in] a text (that I've saved) hahaha that I can go after my last fight," Rampage wrote.

When a fan again made mention of the UFC not being the same without him, he responded once more with incredulousness as to a need to stay in the UFC.

"[Why would I stay]? " he asked. "So I can keep being under promoted [and] giving leg humpers who just want [to] take me down all the time instead of having a show?"

Penick's Analysis: It's laughable that he's trying to play the lack of respect card with what the UFC has done for him during his time in the organization. He's playing the selfish child card here, and only his most diehard fans are going to be sympathetic to it. If this is the way he wants to respond to his worst fight ever, then so be it; the UFC isn't going to be harmed by him no longer being a part of the organization. He's focusing on some negatives and ignoring the things the UFC has overlooked for him, or the things that they've done for him when the disrespect has gone the other way, and it's making him look completely selfish and unreasonable in this instance. If he wants to leave, then he can leave, and the UFC should let him.

[Rampage Jackson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

Paul Buentello  Josh Burkman  Mikey Burnett  Murilo Bustamante  Grant Campbell