Raja Jackson will face two charges concerning his August attack on indie wrestler Syko Stu (real name Stuart Smith) that drew worldwide criticism and media attention.
First reported by the Los Angeles Times, Jackson will be charged with one count of felony battery that caused serious bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor battery. The attack took place at a show for KnokX Pro Wrestling on August 23. What was originally a planned spot turned into a legitimate situation with Jackson — the son of UFC legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson — bloodying Stu and sending him to the hospital. The attack came after Stu had struck Jackson in the head with a beer can backstage.
“Prosecutors will also seek a sentencing enhancement because Jackson allegedly caused Stuart Smith to suffer great bodily injury,” the LA Times wrote. “Smith, known as Syko Stu in the ring, lost several teeth and suffered a laceration to his lip during the attack, which saw Jackson body slam the wrestler and then punch him in the head and face more than 20 times.
“A criminal complaint is expected to be filed Tuesday, according to the district attorney’s office. Calls and emails to Jackson and his representatives were not immediately returned. It was not clear if he had retained an attorney.”
Following an investigation by the LAPD, Jackson was arrested in September for the attack. He is out on bail and will have an arraignment in court this week.
Jackson was a streamer on Kick before his account was banned from the platform over this incident.
Rampage Jackson has issued a new statement regarding his son Raja Jackson’s actions at a KnokX Pro event that left wrestler Syko Stu with serious injuries.
Jackson posted the following to Instagram on Monday, stating his family has received threats and expressing frustration at misinformation being spread about the incident.
“This has gone too far,I’m sick of being quiet and letting all the low IQ people fall for clickbait! Yes my son took things too far,and I’m pissed at him for being a POS and the way he handled it! But if psycho Stu wasn’t drunk and wouldn’t have hit my son over the head with a (real beer can) while he was live streaming on his own stream then Knox wouldn’t have felt like they had to make things right by letting Raja get his ‘get back’ in the ring! If my son would’ve just went to the police when the beer can incident happened then the whole event could’ve gotten shut down and he could’ve sued! But no my son is not as smart as I’d liked for him to be! Now my family and i are getting racist threats because of all the misinformation being posted so content creators can get paid from viewers!”
“People actually think my son just snuck in a ring in front of a live audience and picked psycho Stu up without permission to be there! Get smart people! It was staged! But Raja took it too far! He only shook his hand and accepted psycho Stu’s drunken apology because they said he could get in the storyline! He was told he could ‘f–k him up’ i have witnesses that says this isn’t the 1st time that psycho Stu had done some drunk shit back stage to a fan! Now we have the back story that my son attacked an innocent military vet with PTSD like my son knew everything about the man that came up from behind him and hit him then asked him to sell it!“
“I have other kids to protect,and i don’t take kindly to threats! I’m not scared of prison,or dying for my kids! And calling me names won’t hurt my feelings! My son should face the consequences for going too far,he knows better! That’s why he didn’t tell me anything about the story line. But psycho Stu is lucky i wasn’t there when he hit my son over the head with a beer can the day after he got a concussion from sparring the day before! I wouldn’t have cared if a bunch of pro wrestlers would’ve jumped me.. I’m a father 1st. Play stupid games win stupid prizes. Let’s all learn a lesson,keep your damn hands to yourself. If you get paid to do fake fighting don’t disrespect people that do the s–t for real! Now i put myself in this shit! Dm me now!”
On Sunday, the official Facebook page for Syko Stu announced that he had been released from hospital and was now recovering at home. It was noted that he has a long road of recovery ahead and that he suffered multiple injuries during the attack.
Syko Stu’s GoFundMe page is now up over $217,000 raised. The top donation was made three days ago by a donor named Stuart Humphreys who made a gift of $15,000 to the campaign. YouTube star Mr. Beast has made the second highest donation thus far at $10,000. Bodybuilding influencer Derek MPMD also made a $5000 donation. Chris Jericho is the highest-donating wrestler at $2500.
Rampage Jackson doesn’t condone his son’s actions.
In a livestream on Tuesday, the former UFC star addressed the incident that took place over the weekend between son Raja and independent wrestler Syko Stu. A previously planned angle at a KnokX Pro Wrestling event on Saturday turned into straight out assault when Raja took down Stu and hammered him with multiple unguarded punches until other wrestlers pulled him off.
“I feel bad about what happened to Syko Stu,” Rampage said. “I don’t condone what my son did, very unfortunate…I wasn’t there. I’m a father, I gotta have my son’s back. I’m going to let justice play out, take this to court…I can’t talk about any details or stuff like that. I can’t really go into nothing. This s*** has put me in a bad mood. I feel bad about Syko Stu and his family, his family had to see that s***. I just wish I could have been there.”
Rampage said that while there are moments where a father is proud of their son and times where they are not, at the end of the day he is still Raja’s father.
“Hopefully one day I can meet Syko Stu and shake his hand and have a man-to-man with him and stuff. I’m just going to get back to being myself,” he said. “I don’t got the right words to say, the haters are going to twist my words…I wasn’t there. Ya’ll need to know I don’t condone Raja’s conduct. And I hope Syko Stu can forgive me, myself, as a dad, for not understanding everything.”
🚨 Rampage Jackson just went live to address the situation involving his son Raja:
“I don’t condone what my son did. I’m going to let justice play out… I just wish I could’ve been there. Hopefully one day I can meet Syko Stu and shake his hand. I hope he can forgive me, as a… pic.twitter.com/epvObpqf9y
Stu suffered serious injuries and remains hospitalized following the incident, which is currently under investigation by the LAPD. A GoFundMe has since been launched to help cover Stu’s medical expenses.
The LAPD is investigating an attack that took place during an independent wrestling event on Saturday that left a wrestler hospitalized.
According to TMZ, cops were called to the KnokX Pro event that took place near Los Angeles and took a police report after Raja Jackson, MMA fighter and son of Rampage Jackson, assaulted a wrestler in a planned angle that turned into a violent assault. As of now, the incident is being investigated.
During the event, which was livestreamed on Kick, Syko Stu (Stuart Smith) was taken down by Jackson. This appeared to knock out Stu cold. Despite this, Jackson continued to pummel and bloody Stu with punch after unprotected punch until others were able to pull him off.
Douglas Malo, a wrestler who attempted to intervene during the assault told USA Today that Smith was awake and talking on Sunday but had broken bones in his face and lost “a lot of teeth.”
“He was choking on his own blood and teeth,” Malo said. “Somebody reminded me there’s kids there and then I was like ‘oh my God.'”
KnokX Pro released a statement following the incident saying “What was supposed to be a planned and agreed upon wrestling spot, turned into a selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith. This egregious act is reprehensible and never should have occurred. In the 17 years of operation of KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, there has never been anything as heinous take place such as this and we apologize to our patrons and fans.”
Rampage also released a statement on social media, writing that he doesn’t condone his son’s actions at all and apologizing on his behalf, Raja had no business being in the ring due to suffering a concussion from sparring days prior to the angle.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has released a statement regarding an incident involving his son, Raja, at a Knox Pro event in Los Angeles on Saturday.
In what is believed to have originally been a planned spot, Raja Jackson left the crowd and entered the ring during the event and attacked wrestler Syko Stu. Raja picked up Stu and slammed him to the mat, knocking him out. Stu was not moving as Raja hit him repeatedly in the face with punches until several wrestlers subdued him. Stu was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Fightful has since reported that Raja entering the ring to attack Stu was planned, but Stu was legitimately knocked out and unable to defend himself.
“Stu was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. We are working to find out more and have Stu in our thoughts,”wrote Sean Ross Sapp.
We’ve opted not to include a link to footage of the incident, but videos are circulating online. There is also another video circulating that shows an incident before the event involving Stu hitting Raja with a beer can. It’s not clear what led to that interaction. Stu is later seen apologizing to Raja for it, and Raja appeared to accept the apology.
Rampage Jackson released a statement regarding the incident, mentioning that he’s been told Stu is now “awake and stable.”
“I want to clear up the misinformation about my son Raja. I’ve been confirmed that the wrestler ( Stewart Smith aka Syko Stu) is awake and stable. Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments before Smith’s match, Raja was told that he could get his “payback”in the ring,i thought it was apart of the show. It was bad judgement, and a work that went wrong. Raja is a MMA fighter not a pro wrestler and had no business involved in an event like this. I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL! He suffered a concussion from sparring only days ago and had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact. As a father, im deeply concerned with his health AND the well being of Mr. Smith. That being said I’m very upset that any of this happened,but my main concern now is that Mr. Smith will make a speedy recovery.I apologize on his behalf and to KICK for the situation.“
The Knox Pro event was livestreamed on Kick. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Rusev has since released a statement as well, noting that he has trained with Stu for 15 years.
“I’ve known and trained with @SykoStu for 15 years. He is a former US Army veteran and amazing guy. There are no excuses for what happened in that ring. Praying for strong Kick out.”
I want to clear up the misinformation about my son Raja. I’ve been confirmed that the wrestler ( Stewart Smith aka Syko Stu) is awake and stable. Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments before Smith’s match, Raja was told that he could get his “payback”in…
Based on what I've heard, the spot with Raja Jackson at Knokx Pro Wrestling was planned. However, Raja Jackson knocked the person out — ring name Syko Stu– and followed up with a lot of heavy punches to Syko Stu, which were not planned to do that kind of damage.
Stu was…
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 24, 2025
I’ve known and trained with @SykoStu for 15 years. He is a former US Army veteran and amazing guy. There are no excuses for what happened in that ring. Praying for strong Kick out.
Even though they spent time in the same organizations throughout their lengthy careers, Fedor Emelianenko and Rampage Jackson never crossed paths inside a ring or a cage. That changes Saturday as the two will face off in the main event of Bellator 237, a joint event with Rizin at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
The show will be aired live on DAZN and Paramount Network.
Fedor is on his retirement tour after signing a new deal with Bellator, but hasn’t fought since last January when he was knocked out by Ryan Bader in the heavyweight title Grand Prix finals in just 35 seconds. Jackson has been on the shelf even longer as he hasn’t fought since September 2018 in a second round TKO win over Wanderlei Silva.
Michael Chandler was originally scheduled to face Benson Henderson in the co-main, but Henderson had to pull out in early-December due to an injury. Chandler will now face Sidney Outlaw instead. Michael Venom Page (aka MVP) will also fight on the main card against Shinsho Anzai.
Our live coverage will begin at 10 p.m. Eastern.
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Daron Cruickshank of the good ole USA out to Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” theme, which would be like if Jack Swagger (not Jake Hager) had used “Wild Boys” in pro wrestling. He’s facing Goiti Yamauchi. Ironically, Yamauchi, the Japanese fighter, is the one representing Bellator in this promotional battle, as Cruickshank, a former UFC fighter, is a RIZIN regular.
And Bellator wins as Goiti Yamauchi wasted no time in taking the back standing of Cruickshank and dragging him to the mat, before securing a rear naked choke for the first round submission. That’s his SEVENTEETH first round submission.
WINNER – GOITI YAMAUCHI (25-4) by submission (rear naked choke) over Daron Cruickshank (22-13) at 3:11
Next up are the ladies, with Kana Watanabe representing RIZIN against Ilara Joanne of Bellator. Joanne comes up to a weird remake of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” that Mike Goldberg and John McCarthy make light of.
Joanne was landing good shots on the feet so Watanabe took her down. Joanne was working for a triangle from her guard for a couple of minutes and it looked close but Watanabe escaped. Watanabe landed some ground and pound and was going for an arm triangle as the round ended. Close round, probably goes to Watanabe since she closed strong.
Watanabe took Joanne down early in round 2 but Joanne reversed and spent most of the round on top. She did nothing with the position, though. Watanabe was landing very light strikes from the bottom and then reversed position with about 30 seconds left and landed a lot of hard shots and likely took that round as well. John McCarthy had round 1 for Joanne but I’ve got Watanabe up 20-18
Watanabe got a takedown early in round 3. Joanne was working for an armbar from her back and throwing elbows but Watanabe fought it off. Watanabe moved into half guard and was landing enough ground and pound to avoid a standup. Eventually she took her back and was landing punches to the head that weren’t being defended and the ref stopped it.
WINNER – KANA WATANABE (9-0-1) by TKO (punches) over Ilara Joanne (9-5)
Nakamura fighting next against Lorenz Larkin, representing Bellator in a battle of former UFC fighters. No, it’s not THAT Nakamura. K-Taro Nakamura is the “master of the rear naked choke”. Larkin is pumped about getting a chance to fight in the Saitama Super Arena. Larkin missed weight by 2.5 lbs for this welterweight clash.
Round 1 was all on the feet. The difference was the speed of Larkin, both in landing shots and avoiding them from Nakamura. Larkin landed hard kicks to the body and legs that were leaving their mark and clearly took the first.
Round 2 was more of the same. Nakamura had a brief flurry where he backed Larkiin up to the cage but by the end of the round, Larkin was landing hard shots including a jumping knee with a hard elbow to the head shortly after that. Larkin clearly up 20-18 after 2.
Larkin dominating on the feet to start round 3. Nakamura went for a takedown and held onto the leg and in the process ate some hard punches and elbows from Larkin that busted him up. He got to his feet bleeding heavily from his left eye and other cuts on his head. Larkin coasted the rest of the round but probably did enough for a 10-8 with all the damage so I’ve got it 30-26 Larkin
WINNER – LORENZ LARKIN (22-7) by decision over K-Taro Nakamura (35-11-2) on scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26
Another guy coming out to a WWE theme song with Shinsho Anzai using Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin'” for his fight with MVP, aka Michael Venom Page. This was set up as a 173 lb contracted fight but MVP looks at least a weight class bigger.
Anzai got hit with a flying knee while going for a takedown but managed to stay on his feet. MVP did the same thing a 2nd time but didn’t connect as well and got stuck with his back to the cage. MVP managed to break free of that and toyed with Shinsho on the feet. A straight punch from MVP knocked Shinsho down but he let him up. Shinsho with a huge cut around his left eye after that. MVP hit him with another jumping knee while taunting him. He closed the round by taking his back standing. Probaby a 10-8 round but the way this is going, the score probably won’t matter.
MVP finished him with a hard right to the head early in the 2nd to pick up the KO win. This was basically a squash match and MVP looked good.
WINNER – MICHAEL VENOM PAGE (17-1) by KO (punch) over Shinsho Anzai (11-4) at 21 seconds of the 2nd round
Another enhancement match serves as the co-main with former lightweight champion taking on Sidney Outlaw. Outlaw is coming off a win over former UFC star Roger Huerta but that’s it for the Bellator vs RIZIN theme for the night. This is a 160 lb catchweight fight.
Chandler was dominating on the feet, although he did eat one hard shot from Outlaw. Shortly after that, he dropped Outlaw with a straight right cross that knocked him down and another shot to the side of the head on the ground and the ref stopped it. Outlaw was up quickly but it was a good stoppage.
WINNER – MICHAEL CHANDLER (20-5) by KO (punch) over Sidney Outlaw (14-4) at 2:59
Lenne Hardt doing the intros for the main event and Rampage out to the old Pride theme. Business has just picked up. Rampage, who fought the majority of his career at light heavyweight, had to cut to make the 265 lb limit and outweighs Fedor by 25 pounds for this fight. He greatly resembles his childhood hero, Junkyard Dog, at this point.
Fedor landing a lot of shots early. Rampage covering up and most of them blocked but a few got through. Rampage nearly fell over while throwing a haymaker and Fedor landed some nice punches. Fedor started to land kicks to the leg and body. Uppercut from Fedor lands hard and Rampage falls face first to the canvas and the ref stops it. Crowd goes silent.
WINNER – FEDOR EMELIANENKO (39-6) by KO (punch) over Rampage Jackson (38-14) at 2:44
Rampage was questioning the stoppage but it was good as he was clearly out of it for several seconds before regaining his bearings and he had nothing. This wasn’t quite as bad as Chuck Liddell looked against Tito but it wasn’t far off.
Bellator MMA announced Wednesday that former PRIDE heavyweight champion and all-time great Fedor Emelianenko will face former UFC light heavyweight champion and former PRIDE star Rampage Jackson on Sunday, December 29th.
The heavyweight fight will main event Bellator’s Japanese debut, taking place at Tokyo, Japan’s famed Saitama Super Arena. The event is being billed as Bellator vs. RIZIN with the expectation the two sides will continue their past of interpromotional fights.
It will be simulcast on DAZN and Paramount Network.
Emelianenko, 43, re-signed with Bellator this summer for what’s expected to be the final time as he once again prepares for retirement. He’s 2-2 in his run with the company and is coming off a 35-second January loss to Ryan Bader in the finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Jackson, 41, won his first four Bellator fights, but has lost two of his last three. He last was seen defeating Wanderlei Silva by second round TKO in September 2018.
Wih no UFC on the slate, Bellator has the MMA world focused on their big show in San Jose, CA, Saturday night, but on a new broadcast partner, sports streaming app DAZN.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, as well as last night’s ROH Death Before Dishonor and tomorrow night’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumnbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
The main event features an interesting champion vs. champion bout as welterweight champion Rory MacDonald challenges middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. The two have made great traction since Bellator signed them away from UFC and for MacDonald, a win here puts him, and Bellator, in an interesting position with the upcoming welterweight tournament. For Mousasi, a win helps increase his value and growing respect among fans.
Also on the card, Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson fight for the fourth time, Douglas Lima and Andrei Koreshkov battle for the fourth time to kick off the aforementioned welterweight tourney, Aaron Pico faces his toughest challenge to date in Leandro Higo, and more.
The prelims can be seen on ParamountNetwork.com with the entire main card available on DAZN.
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By Dave Meltzer
YSIDRO GUTIERREZ (4-2) VS. GASTON BOLANOS (3-1), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Head kick by Bolanos. Bolanos threw a kick, was taken down but got back up. Good right by Bolanos. Gutierrez with some punches. Head kick by Bolanos. Knees by Bolanos. Bolanos just threw him down. Bolanos then let him up. Bolanos missed the spinning elbow. Takedown by Bolanos. Head kick Bolanos didn’t hit solid. Bolanos 10-9
Second round: Takedown by Bolanos. He let Gutierrez back up. Bolanos landed a left hook behind the ear that put him down. He’s landing punches on the ground and it was stopped. There were ten hard puches on the ground that landed and a few that missed.
1:37 of round two.
KERI MELENDEZ (2-0) VS. DAKOTA ZIMMERMAN (0-0), WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS
First round: Melendez got a big reaction. Front kick to the face by Melendez and a takedown. Melendez with a stuff power bomb. Another short power bomb by Melendez. Melendez with a hard elbow. Zimemeran is working for a triangle. Zimmerman also has the armbar.while working the triangle. Melendez survived the submission attempts but they were dangerous. 10-9 Zimmerman
Second round: Both swinging. Knee by Melendez. They’re in a clinch. Melendez seems tired. Zimmerman trying for a takedown. Nothing much is happening. Melendeza landed knees to the body. They’re back in the clinch. Melendez brought her to the corner in front of Gilbert Melendez. Knees to the body by Melendez. Melende took the round with the knees to the body. 19-19 after two.
Third round: Melendez landing punches now. Left by Melendez. Zimmerman shot in looking for a takedown. Zimmerman got her down. Zimmerman in side control. Melendez reversed to the top. Zimmerman tried for an armbar but didn’t have it. Zimmerman landed an up kick and got to her feet. Both are landing. Melendez’s punches lack the zing becuase hse’s tired. She’s still the better striker and is landing. Zimmerman shot in again. Melendez got a takedown. Melendez 29-28.
AARON PICO (3-1) VS. LEANDRO HIGO (18-4), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Freddy Roach is in Pico’s corner. Pico laned a few punches. They traded low kicks. Knees by Higo. Trading punches. Low kick by Higo. Pico with a nice body shot. Low kick by Higo. Uppercut by Higo. Pico dropped him and is unloading with shots. Higo stayed up. Low kick by Higo. Pico with big shots. Pico dropped him and landing hard punches on the ground. The ref is letting it go way too long. Higo got up and Pico landing more big punches and put him down again and it was finally stopped. This was a great three minutes. Pico came across like a superstar. But that referee, he really blew it on this one.
After the fight, Pico said to Patricio Pitbull that you’re time wil come.
3:19
ANDREY KORESHKOV (21-2) VS. DOUGLAS LIMA (29-7), WELTERWEIGHTS
First round: Koreshkov came out to the Nikolai Volkoff Russian national anthem. Lima with a head kick. Low kick by Lima. Ric Flair whoo’s all over the joint. Koreshckov shot in for a takedown. Lima blocking it and landed some elbows. Koreshkov lifted Lima off his feet twice but Lima kept his balance. Lima got a momentary takedown. Neither can take the other down. The crowd is booing heavily now. Elbow by Koreshkov. Very hard round to judge. 10-9 Lima but could easily be 10-10.
Second round: Body kick by Lima. Nothing happening again. Body kick by Lima. Koreshkov’s left shin is swelling up bad from low kicks. Lots of clinching but the crowd isn’t as restless. Another boring round. Lima 20-18
Third round: Front kick by Lima. Lima stumbled. Body kick by Lima. Body kick by Lima. Lima continues to land low kicks. Koreshkov tried a takedown. Lima landed a knee after a momentary takedown. Crowd booing heavily at the end of the round. Lima 30-27.
Cormeir just got the biggest pop of the show by far. Pretty much a standing ovation.
Fourth round: Lima accidentally kicked him low. Lima with a few punches. Crwod booing heavily. Knee by Lima. Koreshckov with a left. Lima has him in trouble with punches as the round ended. Lima 40-36
Fifth round: Lima with a body kick. Lima with a big right. Lima took him down landed punces on the ground and has a choke and Koreshkov went out and it was stopped.
3:04
WANDERLEI SILVA (35-13-1) VS. RAMPAGE JACKSON (37-13), HEAVYWEIGHT
First round: People see Jackson as a big star. Silva looks old, like much older than his chronological years. Looks late 50s. Jackson is much heavier than the past at 254 pounds but looks like a guy who still trains. The crowd is still really hot for this. Both traded and Jackson rocked him. Silva threw a kick to the head. Both swinging. Silva landed a wild punch and Rampage closed the distance. Jackson landed a right on the break. Front kick by Silva. Both landing punches. This was actually a hell of an exchange. The people really liked the ending of the round. 10-9 Jackson
Second round: Both swingig wildly. Silva almost went down but came back. For 15 secons it was 14 yeas ago. Jackson with a right. Jakcson hurt himn with a right that just cracked him. Silva swinging swing wildly back. Theyr’e in a clinch. Jackson with a knee to the body. Jackson with upperucts. Knee by Jackson to the body. Both are swinging wildly again. Both are in a clinch again. Both trading again. Jackson with a right. Jackson dropped him with a right and was landing punches on the ground and it’s over. Fans loved this fight. It was much better than expected.
4:32
GEGARD MOUSASI (44-6-2) VS. RORY MACDONALD (20-4) FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
First round: Mousasi landed a left. Mousasi does look a lot bigger in the cage far more than two days ago when he had cut weight. Mac Donald with a low kick and punch. Mousasi wih a left. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi back with jabs. Nice low kick and jab combo by Mousasi. Head kick by MacDoanld just missed. Big right by Mousasi. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi landing jabs. Mousasi 10-9
Second round: MacDonad dove for an Imanari roll and Mousasi ended up on top. MacDonald is bleeding heavily from the nose from punches. Mousasi landing punches. Mousasi moved to mount. Mousasi landing elbows to the head. He’s landing more elbows and continued to hammer the elbows until it was stopped.
With the wrestling world relatively quiet this weekend, MMA has taken center stage with UFC and Bellator going head-to-head Saturday night on separate coasts. While the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles will be battled over in Boston, Bellator kicks off its year-long heavyweight championship grand prix and a former UFC fighter guns for his first major title.
In the main event, Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson will fight in a first round matchup of the heavyweight grand prix. This will be Sonnen’s first foray into heavyweight while Jackson has fought here before, notably in a dud of a fight against King Mo Lawal.
Sonnen is coming off a June decision win over Wanderlei Silva while Jackson is coming off that March decision loss to Mo, snapping a five fight losing streak.
In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald will look to win his first major championship when he faces welterweight champion Douglas Lima in what should be a great fight. Also on the show, former lightweight champion Michael Chandler looks to get back on track while prospect Aaron Pico looks to win his second straight.
Follow our main card coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET tonight.
Bellator 192 (main card)
Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
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In the prelims, prospect Joey Davis won his fight but the debuting Khonry Gracie dropped a decision to Devon Brock, who was also making his pro debut. Other names of note picking up wins were Johnny Cisneros and Guilherme Vasconcelos.
John McCarthy makes his debut as color commentator, alongside Mike Goldberg for tonight’s show.
Featherweights Georgi Karakhanyan (27-7-1) vs Henry Corrales (14-3)
Goldberg and McCarthy seem like they have chemistry together. The video on the Shaw Cable feed is completely messed up so I cannot tell who is winning the fight but it sounds like Karakhanyan from the commentary. It seems to be a network-wide issue affecting only the Paramount Network in Canada on my cable system.
Second round sounded like it was back and forth but that Karakhanyan had the advantage. Corrales finished strong and may have stolen the round. The commercials are working fine, it’s only the video during the live fights that is messed up.
John McCarthy seems to think that Corrales is down 2 rounds and needs a finish.
Corrales seemed to be holding off Karakhanyan well but it sounds like Karakhanyan won the third as well. In listening to Goldberg call a fight, it’s alarming how little of the action he actually calls as it’s really hard to tell what’s going on. Based on what I heard, I’d be shocked if Corrales won the fight.
Official result – Henry Corrales (15-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Corrales said he is not impressed with his own performance. He put over his camp, saying he’s 3-0 since he switched to them.
Jay Glazer is the studio host of the show and gives it a very different vibe, adding credibility to the show, I think. Jay Glazer interviewed Ryan Bader about the Heavyweight Grand Prix. He basically just put over all the other competitors in the tournament but didn’t really have a lot to say. Josh Thomson is also on the panel.
Jenn Brown then interviewed his opponent King Mo and he said that they will both be fighting at their walk-around weights and the better man should win, which would be him. King Mo said that Chael will win the main event because Rampage is out of shape. I’ve found an online live feed of the show so I should be able to watch from here on in.
Featherweights Aaron Pico (1-1) vs Shane Krutchen (12-3)
Pico dropped Krutchen with a body punch combo to open the fight. Pico backed off, forcing Krutchen to stand. He dropped him again with a hard punch to the liver and he was out. Ref stepped in before Pico could do more damage.
Official result – Aaron Pico (2-1) by KO (punch) at 37 seconds
He put over his team after the fight in his post-fight interview. John McCarthy asked him to call someone out but he refused to, saying he’ll fight whoever they put in front of him. Both guys have sworn in their promos tonight. Not sure if that’s by design but it is interesting given it’s the debut of the network.
Lightweights Michael Chandler (16-4) vs Goiti Yamauchi (22-3)
After a brief cage clinch, Yamauchi dropped to the ground, almost like he was pulling guard. Chandler obliged him and went into his guard. He proceed to hold position for almost the entire round, doing enough to avoid a standup and easily win the round. Yamauchi was continously grabbing the cage but only was warned once. 10-9 Chandler
Yamauchi hurt Chandler bad with a body kick early. Chandler was wobbly for awhile after that but he managed a takedown halfway through the round. He was just laying there for awhile and almost got stood up but in the last minute, he did a lot of damage and probably stole the round. 10-9 Chandler, 20-18 overall
Lost hte video feed again for most of the 3rd round but from what I saw, Chandler dominated and should take the round and the fight easily. Should be noted that John McCarthy is already one of the best color guys in MMA.
Official result – Michael Chandler (17-4) by unanimous decision (30-26 x 2; 30-25)
John McCarthy told Chandler that Scott Coker says he earned a shot at Brent Primus and Chandler says “who”. McCarthy asks if that’s what he wants and he said no but he’s a company man and he’ll do whatever the company wants.
Roy Nelson was interviewed by Josh Thomson and Jay Glazer at the desk. Thomson says he picked the winner of Nelson/Mitrione to win the whole tourney. Nelson says that if he fights his fight, he’ll win but if he doesn’t then he won’t.
Jenn Brown interviewed Mitrione backstage about the fight with Nelson. He feels he earned a title shot and didn’t like the fact he had to go through a tournament to get the belt. But now he likes the idea because he was going to have to beat everyone anyway and this is the most exciting thing going on in the sport. This is rematch from 5 years that Nelson won but Mitrione says he’s developed as a fighter and he doesn’t feel Nelson has.
Bellator Welterweight title – Champion Douglas Lima (29-6) vs Rory McDonald (19-4)
McDonald was clinching on the cage early, trying to get it to the ground. Neither guy did much on the feet. McDonald got a takedown with just over 2 minutes left. Lima was actually more active from his back but McDonald held him down for the majority of the round. Ref Jason Herzog actually stood them up with 12 seconds left but nothing happened on the feet. 10-9 McDonald but close
McDonald was constantly going for takedowns and controlling the cage clinch but Lima was the more active fighter, landing punches to the head and body from the clinch. When they were standing, it was pretty even although Lima was doing more damage as McDonald was bleeding from the nose. Another close round, 10-9 Lima, 19-19 overall
Round started off really slow with a lot of clinch work where nothing was happening and the crowd was booing. After they separated, McDonald got a takedown but didn’t do anything with it. Ref stood them up. After the standup, Lima started landing hard leg kicks and he dropped McDonald with one with about 45 seconds left. Lima went into his guard and did a lot of damage with ground and pound. 10-9 Lima, 29-28 overall
McDonald went for a takedown right off the bat but Lima stuffed it and ends up on top. McDonald’s left leg is swelled so badly from the kicks, it looks like it has a second knee. Lima quickly moved into mount and held it for awhile but didn’t do a ton of damage. McDonald was eventually able to move him back to guard and as soon as he did, the ref stood them up. Lima landed a hard leg kick that almost dropped McDonald again but he got a takedown. He did his best damage of the fight but probably not enough to take the round. 10-9 Lima, 39-37 overall. Should note that most on my Twitter feed have it tied up as does John McCarthy.
McDonald got an immediate takedown. He was far more active than he’d been at any time during the fight, trying to avoid a standup. In particular, he landed some hard elbows that opened a cut on Lima’s forehead. There was a couple points when it looked like he might get stood up but McDonald did enough to stay on top. He slowed down at the end but enough to take the round. I have it 10-9 McDonald and 48-47 Lima overall but I suspect McDonald will take it.
Official result – Rory McDonald (20-4) by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-45 and 49-46)
McDonald says Lima is the best guy he’s ever fought and after winning that fight, he really feels like the best welterweight in the world. He says he can’t walk on his leg and it feels like there’s a person growing inside of it. Not sure how two judges thought that Lima didn’t win both rounds 3 and 4 but it wasn’t a bad decision.
McDonald had to be carried to the back by his cornermen. Lima looked upset at the decision.
Main event – Round 1 matchup in the Heavyweight Grand Prix: Rampage Jackson (37-12) vs Chael Sonnen (29-15-1)
Sonnen is giving up 31 pounds in this matchup. Trace Adkins sang the national anthem. Blake Grice is your referee.
First round was pretty good. Sonnen was far more active but Jackson landed the harder punches and did the most damage. Jackson threw Sonnen down halfway through the round, almost like a bodyslam, but backed off, forcing hi to stand. Sonnen got a late takedown and was working for a rear naked choke but Jackson moved into top position by the end of the round. 10-9 Jackson.…but Tom Lawlor for one has it the other way.
Sonnen clinched up early, trying to get a takedown. He got it about 90 seconds in and manage to hold Rampage down for the rest of the round. He didn’t do a ton of damage but enough to avoid a standup. Jackson was starting to do damage from his back late in the round but not nearly enough to take it. 10-9 Sonnen and 19-19 after 2. Rampage could need a finish though as round 1 was close.
Jackson went right to the cage clinch and manage to hold Sonnen there for over half the round. He had some really good damage with a nice series of body punches. After they finally separated, it was pretty even on the feet and Jackson was taunting Sonnen, trying to get him to throw down. Sonnen got a takedown with a minute left but Jackson was more active from his back. Ref stood them up with 10 seconds left and Jackson closed with a nice punch combo. 10-9 Jackson and 29-28 overall but I suspect Sonnen might win it.
Official decision – Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) by uananimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Crowd booed the decision but it was probably more due to the fact they like Jackson than they disagreed with the decision. He said that neither Frank Mir nor Fedor are the best but one of them will be the next. He had a couple cute rehearsed lines but crowd didn’t seem to care. No interview with Rampage.
At one point, Travis Browne was surging in the UFC heavyweight division and was closing in on what seemed like big things. On the September 22, 2011, WGAM MMA Show, yours truly and co-host/producer PJ Huot talked to him as he prepared to fight at UFC 135 against Rob Broughton.
We began the show by previewing UFC 135, headlined by then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson in Denver, CO. This is where the Jones train began to come off the tracks as he famously griped about having to autograph a replica title belt and the fans that once adored him began to turn on him.
We also discussed Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck and I regrettably poked fun at Mark Hunt.
We then talked to Browne for a solid 15 minutes about his SportsCenter highlight of knocking out Stefan Struve, his upbringing in Hawaii, and how he was a self-admitted Blink182 groupie. This was such a difference between the angry guy I listened to at a press conference years later after the UFC’s last visit to Boston.
We wrapped up by previewing the Michael Bisping-Mayhem Miller season of TUF and discussing Kimbo Slice vs. DADA 5000 — a fight that wouldn’t happen until years later.
Two of the biggest talkers in the sport will face off in the first round of the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, announced Tuesday along with the rest of the first round fights and locations.
On January 20th at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, Chael Sonnen will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson to kick off the tournament as part of the undercard of Rory MacDonald vs. welterweight champion Douglas Lima. The show will go head-to-head with UFC 220 from Boston, MA.
Announced earlier this month, four heavyweights and four light heavyweights moving up in weight class will compete in the Grand Prix tournament with the winner becoming the new Bellator heavyweight champion.
A month after Sonnen/Rampage, Matt Mitrione will look to keep his win streak going against Roy Nelson at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena in February 2018. This will be a rematch of their December 2012 UFC TUF finale encounter.
In April at Chicago’s Allstate Arena, Fedor Emelianenko will try to turn back time one last time against Frank Mir who will be making his Bellator debut after being released by the UFC while under suspension by USADA.
Finally, the first round wraps up in May at San Jose, CA’s, SAP Center with light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader moving up in weight to face “King” Mo Lawal, a fight originally scheduled to happen at the promotion’s NYC show this year.
Dates and locations for the semifinals and finals weren’t announced, nor were alternates in case of injury. Sonnen vs. Jackson will air on the Paramount Network, the soon-to-be renamed Spike TV, but it’s unclear as to whether all fights will be on free TV. Depending on how 2018 plays out, the finals could be on the company’s return to PPV.
Bellator and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have reached an out-of-court settlement on their lawsuit. As part of the agreement Jackson will return to fight in Bellator.
Bellator released the information today stating Jackson’s return is part of an amicable agreement to settle litigation.
Jackson signed with Bellator in 2013 after his UFC contract expired on a joint deal with Spike TV, Bellator and TNA. Jackson was signed to headline a PPV against Tito Ortiz, but due to a neck injury to Ortiz in training, the fight fell through. Jackson won three fights in Bellator, over Joey Beltran, Christian M’Pumbu and King Mo Lawal, the latter a very disputed decision in a grudge match.
On December 20, 2014, UFC announced that Jackson had signed a new deal to return to UFC. Scott Coker, the President of Bellator, immediately stated that Jackson still had multiple fights left on his contract and they filed suit against him.
Jackson had claimed to be a free agent based on a contract breach, claiming he had not gotten a full breakdown of the PPV numbers for the Lawal fight. Bellator officials stated he was told the number and they had publicly released the number at approximately 100,000 buys. Jackson was also unhappy that Bellator had not gotten him movie roles as was talked about in the original contract negotiations.
Bellator originally got an injunction to stop him from fighting in UFC. However, an appellate court in New Jersey overturned the injunction and allowed Jackson to face Fabio Maldonado on 4/25 in Montreal, a fight he won. However, the injunction went back into effect after the fight, and Jackson’s career has been on hold ever since because he did not want to go back to Bellator.
