Before Chael Sonnen and Conor McGregor shot to fame, taking UFC to places never imagined before, there was Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. He was a personality who could captivate the masses and could walk the talk to bring in heavy numbers. Unfortunately, Jackson’s mic skills at that time were shunned, silencing the fighter from talking trash, as he was just “told to calm down .”
Reflecting on the same, the PRIDE, UFC, and Bellator veteran revealed his envious side, jealous of McGregor’s privilege. The 45-year-old who is ‘Conor’s biggest fan’, got candid when the conversation on ‘Jaxxon’ Podcast shifted towards the Irish fighter. Recalling how the management put on the muzzle, ‘Rampage’ said, Jackson stated that he felt sad after watching Conor McGregor become overly popular with his trash talking.
Jackson was one of the biggest names in PRIDE FC, the biggest MMA promotion back in the day when the sport was spreading its wings. According to multiple sources, Japanese fans loved the fighter’s antics and his laid-back attitude. His ability to carry himself in the community, interacting with fans, and his backstage interviews are iconic even to this day. Despite all that, the management and the higher-ups lacked the farsightedness to utilize the fighter’s outlandish personality and potential to the fullest.
Hardcore fans can certainly relate to this as the difference is evident when one compares the fighter’s aura in PRIDE and UFC. After all, who can forget his hilarious program when he deemed himself as “Conor McNi***r?”
“Call me Conor McNi***r” – Throwback to Jackson’s hilarious dig at the UFC
‘Rampage’ was a fan magnet, often getting jumped by ardent fans wherever he went. His chuckle-worthy backstage interviews with Ariel Helwani drew the fans closer to him, and his honest and down-to-earth personality was the icing on the cake. A few years back, the fighter sat down with the former UFC heavyweight and podcaster, Brendan Schaub, where he took a sharp dig at UFC, mentioning McGregor. He said,
Hearing the fighter calling himself that, Schaub couldn’t hold in his laughter as he burst out laughing. Truly, Jackson was doing what McGregor and Sonnen did later. Being a showman, an entertainer who could carry massive events on his shoulders as fans would line up just to catch the American.
