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RAMPAGE JACKSON, DIXIE CARTER & MORE DISCUSS JACKSON'S NEW DEAL WITH SPIKE, TNA & BELLATOR: FULL TRANSCRIPT

Dave Doyle: Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. Actually I have a two part question for you Bjorn. One is when Rampage competes in Bellator is he going to be part of your tournament format. And then my second question would be back I think it was in a press conference in Huntington Beach. Bjorn said - I'm kind of paraphrasing here, but it was more or less we'll bring in Rampage if it's the right fit. You've obviously decided this was the right fit. Can you tell me, you know, - just kind of walk us through how you ended up coming to that conclusion?

Bjorn Rebney: Yes, the first part of your question is, look, we - sometimes the terminology partnership gets overused. In our situation - with my situation with Kevin and with Rampage and also with Dixie it really means what it - how it's defined. A partnership is really the essence of what we're creating here. And it's the essence of what we were able to create with him. So in terms of when the fights are going to occur, who the competition's going to be.

And the most kind of uplifting part of what I've gotten through the correspondence that he and I have had -- all communication we've had -- is he's reenergized. And like any of us we've watched him fight over the years, and he's one of the most explosive, dramatic, powerful fighters that's ever stepped foot in a cage or ring -- any place where people were doing combat. So to hear him say to me, "Hey I'm reenergized. I'm back in it."

So it's going to be a partnership. Kevin and me and Rampage, Dixie we're all going to sit down and we're going to figure out when is the right time, when is he optimally ready to compete. It's not going to be about a call that comes into him and says, "Hey we got a fight in 30 days against x." It's going to be a partnership, so we don't have an answer to that question right now. We're still banging it around.

What made it right was that - and look, these things - when you and I spoke a long time ago -- and I think it was at HBO we were sitting down talking -- you - I can, you know, we work on these things for months and months and months.

Dave Doyle: Right.

Bjorn Rebney: I spent months working with Wolfslair and with Rampage trying to figure out what the right fit here would be, how could we put together the perfect alliance for him to work. So it was about putting all those pieces together. It wasn't literally about kind of the old school, "well here's what we would offer you to fight". It was about finding out what he wanted to do and what would get him hugely energized and then coordinating with all those partners and making it work.

So it was just time consuming. It's just a process to go through to make sure that the fit was right. So that he was excited about it. And if he's excited about given his tools and personality and persona then we've got a win on our hands. So it was just a timing issue.

Dave Doyle: Okay.

Josh Gross: Josh Gross with ESPN. Rampage, what did you tell Bjorn about fighting - what you had in mind fighting wise? You did talk a lot about Paramount and a lot about pro wrestling. But I didn't hear a lot about mixed martial arts. What - besides being reenergized how specifically? What kind of abundance do you expect?

Quinton Jackson: Well, you know, honestly a lot of MMA fans may criticize me for leaving the UFC, because they say that's where the best fighters are and stuff like that and it's not a lot of competition in Bellator yet and stuff like that. But I tell the fans like it's like ignorance. They don't know. Like this deal that they gave me is so sweet. Like MMA don't have a pension like other sports, right. The deal they gave me set me up for the future.

And like when other fighters - when they really get down and understand and see this deal that they gave me I think a lot of other fighters that are not happy with their contract and other shows are want to go and come to Bellator. And I think the competition's going to come over. And so it's like - I told Bjorn like when my knees and stuff get back close to 100% I'm ready. I'll go up and fight anybody. I never turned down any fight before in the past.

But like it's no secret that I loss three fights in a row. It's no secret. And fans only see that. They don’t' see that, you know, like okay I loss to John Jones. Who hasn't that fought that guy? Who hasn't? Then I loss to Ryan Bader, because I was injured. I got injured like a month before the fight. But it's the type of person I am. I didn't want to pull out of the Japan card, because I love my Japan - Japanese fans. Everybody know that. So I still fought injured.

And then my next fight that I, you know, - I wasn't - I shouldn't have even been fighting. But I wanted to get out of that contract so bad. My new - it was my first fight after my surgery, right. So I still went out there, and I fought. It don't matter. I just got away, because I said, "it has to be something out here better." And then I met Bjorn. And instant I liked the guy, because you can look him in his eyes and you tell like - the guy don't have any ego and he gets it. Like the fighters what makes the show right. And when fighters get - and when fighters understand this they're going to take to him the same way I took to him. They'll be like man this - like in Bellator you don't have to like - they don't tax you for your sponsors. You know, what I'm saying. They help you get sponsors. They don't get mad at you for doing movies. They get you movies.

These guys - I know I wrote a movie a couple years ago, and I sat down with Andy Goodman of Paramount Pictures. And I pitched the movie to him and was like, "Oh, man I like that." He liked the movie - that my idea. And like I want to make an MMA movie that - like that no one has ever made before. A lot of people view MMA, but they never had a fighter put his touch on the MMA movie. These guy's they're down with me, you know what I'm saying. And these guys bought be a nice car man. Like I'm happy man. You already know it. I'm happy man.

When other fighters hear how they treat you over here then like I think the competition's going to come over. And then yes, I'll be fighting,, you know whoever again just like that. But like Bjorn know that I'm rehabbing my knee. He don't care if - it's like - in like the UFC they don't care. They - you go out there and you fight. Like a lot of times when you get when you have surgery you should come back and have a warm up fight. But UFC don't care about you like that. Bjorn he care more about my long term.

He's like, you know what I'm saying, before I was talking about retiring at probably 35 which is like in a couple of days, you know what I'm saying. Now with what we're talking about and stuff like that man I got at least like four or five more years in me. Because if I'm injured and stuff like that he says, "Okay just take heal up. Take a time out." He's not rushing me to fight at all. He wants me to rehab my knee, and that's what I've been doing.

I haven't been running. I've just been lifting weights and rehabbing my knee and getting everything straight, so I can come back hard. Because now I finally got the love back. And I'm thinking about going heavyweight. Because, you know, I'm older now. And I want to start smashing some big guys, you know what I'm saying. I - but what I want to do is come and knock and openly with all the negativity gone and be myself and go out there and just entertain the fans.

Like I've done a lot in this sport, you know what I'm saying. I think a lot of fans forget that I'm the first ever unified champion, you know what I'm saying. That's my most proud achievement in this sport, you know what I'm saying. I did that. And I was champion and stuff before. Now I don't really care about it. I just want to entertain the fans. I want to come and put on a great fight and go to pro wrestling, you know what I'm saying, over in TNA. Those guys - they got the best wrestlers over there at TNA, you know what I'm saying. I want to go over there and show them what I can do, because I think I'm a natural pro wrestler.

People don't know that I used to play around with my old wrestling buddies in high school and college like a pro wrestler and do all this. People don't that about my love for pro wrestling. And I’ve been watching TNA. They got Sting and Hulk Hogan and stuff over there. Come on. I need to go over there and kick it with them and, you know what I'm saying, learn from the best and put on great shows. I just want to entertain all my fans and hopefully make some new ones.

Josh Gross: Just a couple quick follow-ups. So are ruling out the tournaments. I mean would you not participate in tournaments? You've done multi-fight tournaments in one night.

Quinton Jackson: Right.

Male: I mean ((inaudible)) the three fights in three month succession is that something that you would not want to participate in?

Quinton Jackson: Man I'm telling you that's the reason why I chose to go to Bellator. Don't get it twisted. Bellator didn't approach me at all. As soon as I, you know what I'm saying, had the opportunity I told my manager, "Ay man, Bellator got those tournaments. It's kind of like what Pride used to do." That's exciting man, you know what I'm saying. That's exciting - those tournaments and stuff like that. That's what caught my eye, you know what I'm saying.

I like watching exciting fights. Who don’t? Like honestly my opinion a lot of fights that's going out there right now is kind of boring. People, you know what I'm saying, - fans probably don't know this but in your contract if you lose two fights in a row you're in risk of getting cut, you know what I'm saying. So a lot of fighters out there are fighting not to lose, and it's making for a boring fight, you know what I'm saying.

And so I was in Bellator I was just watching the guys are fighting fighters, and they're going out there and they're just putting it all on the line. And they've got tournaments and stuff like that. It's a lot more going on. They got Spike pushing them. And, you know, uf you guys have been paying attention, Spike is what made the UFC what is was. And, you know what I'm saying, with Bellator. And I think Bellator's going to be the biggest show coming up pretty soon, because they have the tournament style. And people want to see it. The fans just want to see exciting fights.

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