Rampage outside of the Pyramid in Long Beach , California site of the 2005 ADCC.

“I don’t got to prove nothing to nobody.”

Quinton ’Rampage’ Jackson was one of many MMA stars that attended the recent Abu Dhabi 2005 World Submission Wrestling Championships held in Long Beach , California . Rampage has become one of the most popular fighters to represent the Pride Fighting Championships organization-winning fans over because of his ferocious body slams in bouts against such fighters as Kazushi Sakuraba, Igor Vovchanchyn, and Ricardo Arona. Rampage made hordes of new fans with his showing in the 2003 Pride Middleweight Tournament finishing off Chuck Liddell by technical knockout but losing to who would become his nemesis in Wanderlei Silva. Rampage would later lose to Silva again in a rematch, which many would call the 2004 Fight of the Year. In his two losses to Silva, Rampage has shown a heart that is matched by few. Rampage’s popularity has grown, not only because of his never say die attitude, but also as a result of his humorous nature.

Rampage has had a recent change in his personal philosophy and religion, becoming a born again Christian. This change along with some devastating losses have made some of his fans question not only his abilities, but also his new way of life. One of the most charismatic fighters in the game today, Rampage had swarms of fans asking for photos and autographs at the ADCC. Rampage was more than gracious with his time, taking the opportunities to talk to his fans and making new ones in the process.

MMA Ring Report’s Yoshi Minigishi and Mike Torres were able to get a quick interview with the busy and comical Pride fighter and ask him about his future.

M. Torres: In your last fight you faced Shogun Rua…

Rampage: Interview over! Interview over!

M. Torres: How is your rib?

Rampage: I’m healing up fast. It’s doing good. Thanks for asking. Interview over!

M. Torres: That’s it?

Rampage: No, I’m joking, I’m joking.

M. Torres: You have recently converted, how is the new philosophy of Rampage going?

Rampage: Interview over! Okay. Since you’ve got a Japanese guy,

Rampage speaks to Yoshi in Japanese
Y. Minigishi: Answers in Japanese…
Rampage: (Speaks gibberish)…. Okay, the thing with my faith is I’ve been born again, born again Christian. Do you know what that means? A lot of people think they know what it means…

M. Torres: Tell me.

Rampage: It means that Jesus has chosen me to be his chosen one. I received the Holy Ghost’s Spirit and if something happened to me right now. I get shot, died, crushed. I go to heaven; it’s a great feeling.

M. Torres: So a great burden has been lifted off of you?

Rampage: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it don’t mean I don’t never have problems anymore. It don’t mean I don’t never have troubles, you know. It means you still gotta grow, you know what I’m saying? It’s just now I know God’s got my back, he take care of me. I’m not perfect. I still sin; I’m just not a slave to sin. Just born again. Its like the old Rampage died and there’s a new Rampage.

M. Torres: Do you think there is a conflict with you fighting and your new found religion?

Rampage: No, no. The only conflict is that I don’t have good training partners. It’s been…before I was born again…See I’m kind of getting upset now because a lot of people, you know what I’m saying, are bashing me on the Internet. That’s why I don’t read it. They think because I’m losing fights, they think it’s because I’ve been born again. They quick to jump on Christianity, when they don’t look behind the scenes at my gym and my training and see that “maybe he’s been training different.” They don’t think about that the first thing they say is “oh look, it’s because he’s born again.” So that’s all I have to say about that. I don’t got to prove nothing to nobody. All I’ve got to do is recruit me some good training partners, come back and do my thang, and when I do my thang my thang’s gonna be done.

M. Torres: So you are a free agent is that correct?

Rampage: Interview over! I thought I was but my manager…You know I’m a fighter. I’m not a book man, a genius, a philanthropist, I don’t even know what that means, or cryptographer, I don’t know what that means neither! You know what I’m saying, I got five more months and my manager told me that I’m not a free agent. So I thought I was, but I’ve got to wait a while before I got to negotiate.

M. Torres: So we’ll get to see you in Pride at least one more time?

Rampage: I ain’t saying that! I’m just saying as of now, right now I’m not a free agent, yet. But I ain’t got no more fights on Pride. In like four more months then I’m a free agent.

M. Torres: So we won’t get to see you fight again for least four or five months?

Rampage: Interview over! Oh, he tired of it already. No, I’m doing movies and stuff man. Everything happens for a reason. Right now, I’ve got time off. I’m not training. I got a little injury, it’s healing up good but I’m doing movies. I think if I would have won that fight, I would be in that tournament training real hard. So I wouldn’t be able to do this movie. I think this movie is gonna be bigger than…

Rampage gestures with his hands and hits Yosh in the face and apologizes in Japanese.

Rampage: You know if I would have been doing the movie…I mean if I wouldn’t have gotten hurt, then I really couldn’t have done the movie. And God has opened up brand new doors for me…

Rampage gestures with his hands and hits Mike in the face and apologizes in Japanese.

Rampage: Oh…Now he knows. The first time…

Y. Minigishi: You can be a comedian in Japan .

Rampage: Okay, you gonna be my manager?

Y. Minigishi: Yeah

Rampage: All right, lets make some money!

Y. Minigishi: Okay

M. Torres: What’s the name of that movie?

Rampage: Interview over! Bad Guys. Ray Sefo in there too.

Y. Minigishi: Oh yeah?

Rampage: Yeah, yeah. Frederico Lapenda is the producer, we gonna do some big thangs. We got some big name actors in there; I just don’t know their names yet.

M. Torres: Are you going to be fighting Ray Sefo in this movie?

Rampage: Yeah, yeah. I’m the big black... I’m the Yakuza in the movie.

Y. Minigishi: Oh…

Rampage: I got two parts, I already got killed…I ain’t gonna tell y’all the movie. Interview over!

M. Torres: Thanks Rampage. Interview over. Thanks. We appreciate it.

Rampage: All right