Why Bellator Letting Rampage Jackson Go Is NOT A Mistake

I see people are saying that Bellator letting Rampage Jackson get away (and him possibly coming back to the UFC) is a mistake.

I disagree.

It became obvious that Jackson has no interest in fighting the current Light Heavyweight champion (his friend/team-mate Emmanuel Newton) so there's really no reason for Rampage to stay with Bellator. Jackson had earned a title shot when he won the LHW mini-tournament... but he chose not to take that fight.

Like I had said about Rory MacDonald going on record saying he would never fight his team-mate/mentor GSP and Daniel Cormier saying he would never fight his team-mate/friend Cain Velasquez... there's no sense in busting your ass training and fighting only to be "#2" - so something had to give.

For Cormier that meant him dropping from heavyweight down to Light Heavyweight, MacDonald got lucky when GSP retired early... for Rampage the only option for him seems to be leaving Bellator.

So I say people shouldn't be giving Bellator or Rampage a hard time for what is probably the best option of a bad situation.

Jackson isn't getting any younger, and he definitely isn't in the best shape of his career or his life... and until/unless he changes his mind on not wanting to fight a friend/team-mate leaving Bellator is the only choice left for him if he wants to be able to continue fighting.

So the smartest thing for Bellator to do is not fight to keep someone who isn't interesting in fighting for them anymore... it is letting him go wherever he can & focusing on the fighters who do want to fight for Bellator in the LHW division. No sense wasting energy on something that isn't going to work out in the long run when you can apply that effort towards things that will benefit your promotion.

If Rampage does return to the UFC (as reports are saying) I wish both him &  Bellator the best.

What Happened To Rowdy Bec Rawlings

I was distracted by the UFC fights but I wanted to say something about the #TUF20Finale after watching the prelims again earlier today.

Specifically I'm referring to Bec Rawlings.

Between the #TUF20 season, the Finale Weigh-ins & how she fought in the Finale I feel she did herself & her "brand" a lot of harm.

When she was on TUFtalk Karyn Bryant brought up her past history and asked if the way Bec had behaved during TUF20 could be described as her being a "bully". Rawlings said she didn't see it like that at all, and offered excuses (or call them reasons, depending on whether you believed her explanation or not)

Then at the Weigh-ins she showed a total lack of respect/professionalism (in my opinion) by flipping off her opponent for the face-off.

And in the fight we see Rawlings CLEARLY target the injured knee of her opponent, a knee that Bec KNEW was already damaged.

Turns out that Heather Clark won that fight... and that unfortunately only makes Bec look worse. I'm not saying that had she won everything Rawlings had done would have been "OK", I'm just pointing out that when you act like that & then lose you look very foolish.

Rawlings (The other "Rowdy" female UFC fighter besides UFC Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey) basically played herself by her words & actions. If she were a guy people would most likely call it being a dick or a douchebag... and I honestly believe that the UFC will be less likely to book her for a fight because of the negative way she behaved recently.

It's one thing to act that way & win... but to go that route & lose cheapens your stock, and in an atmosphere where bad hype can derail your momentum it's not good for a fighter to be their own worst enemy.

Bec's actions might have put her int he same boat at Nate Diaz - who is most likely in hot water with the UFC execs from failing to meet required pre-fight obligations, walking out on an interview, complaining/talking badly about the promotion, missing weight & then losing his fight.

With more than 550 fighters on the roster fighters have it rough getting a fight... it makes ZERO sense to make that even harder by becoming "hard to want" when it comes to the promotion figuring out who to give a fight opportunity to.

In addition to all of this... I say anyone who would purposefully target an injured part of their opponent's body is not a nice person, or even a decent one.

IF anyone wants to defend that type of unprofessional (not to mention :poop: -y) behavior, don't bother. Responding to this telling me I am wrong on this specific aspect of my rant will only make me have less respect for you as a fighter as well as a person.

Don't be the fighter who is known for purposefully ending another fighter's career - and no matter how much you don't like that fighter (Or even if they are a crappy person) it's not going to make up for your :poop: -y actions.

But for someone who went through what Rawlings did to act the way she has only makes her less sympathetic - and I feel what she has said & done will probably lose her some fans.

I can say that for me, it has effected the way I view her as both a fighter & as a person. I started off TUF20 as a big fan of hers... but what I have seen of her since that first episode has resulted in me not being as much of a fan of hers as I once was.

Hopefully Bec will realize that the way she is behaving isn't in her best interest and she will go back to being the person/fighter that fans could like & respect.

Why I Believe A Lawsuit Against The UFC Is A Bad Idea

I don't think that a class action lawsuit against the UFC is going to end the way the people involved think it will.

I predict that the UFC won't be found guilty of anything... some people might not be happy with the pay, but if you compare pay I'm sure you will see that UFC fighters are getting paid better than what other promotions are paying. Some fighters might not like having to pay taxes on any fight bonuses (or even have to "share" it with managers/corner-men/trainers) but they can't deny being in the UFC pays better than not being in the UFC. The added revenue that will happen from the Reebok deal might take time to fully impact fighter pay... but eventually people will see more money at the end of the day from this deal than before.

BUT the downside I see from people filing a class action lawsuit will most likely will be the UFC cutting a lot of fighters from the active roster.

There are more than 550 fighters & even with all of the proposed UFC events in 2015 that is too many for the promotion to sustain & remain profitable. Whether they have to pay out any money from this lawsuit or not the logical step for self-preservation by the UFC is to get rid of fighters to minimize anyone having a legit complaint that they aren't being paid enough or treated fairly.

I sympathize with the fighters, but they need to realize that this is a business for the promotion in addition to it being a sport. It is a meritocracy not socialism... you get paid what you EARN & you shouldn't expect top dollar for low level performance.

Look at Robbie Lawler... it was reported that he made just over a MILLION DOLLARS for the fights leading up to his rematch with Johny Hendricks. Robbie put in the effort & EARNED that money, nothing was just handed to him.

Sad truth is that not everyone is going to get top dollar... the ones who perform the best deserve the bigger pay. Realistically this lawsuit should be about making sure fighters don't get underpaid... not making some fighters who under-perform get higher pay when they haven't earned it.

I know there will be people who say that I don't know hat I'm talking about (or don't qualify to express these opinions/views) because I'm not a fighter... and I'll answer that now by saying that is a BULLSHIT statement.

I repeat that I sympathize with fighters and that I'm on your side... but I don't think MMA pay should become socialism where everyone gets paid close to the same, especially when some fighters deserve more because they earned it while others don't.

Bottom line:

While this seems like a good idea, I predict that a class action lawsuit against the UFC will do more harm than good. Many fighters "on the bubble" in the UFC will end up getting cut & find themselves getting paid less by other promotions... IF they can even get fights with other promotions. The UFC might have a flawed system in terms of fighter pay, but a lawsuit isn't the right way to correct whatever flaws do exist.

I wish the fighters well, but I don't think a majority will like the end result of whatever happens from a class action lawsuit against the UFC.

Sometimes fighters don't do things in their best interest & become their own worst enemy. Nate Diaz is a prime example. He's one of the best fighters in the division (in any promotion) but he made poor choices that resulted in lower pay & less opportunities. You can't talk shit about the promotion, fail to make press appearances or other obligations to promote your fight for the promotion, come in overweight and lose your fight then expect to either not get offered less or even be cut.

Fighters need to realize what they say & do outside the cage effects what they get paid. It's not just what they do inside the cage, even if that should be most of what determines fighter pay. Someone who does everything the promotion wants/expects like Conor McGregor is going to get rewarded while someone who does everything wrong like Nate Diaz will either get punished or cut.

Sometimes it isn't fair... but life isn't fair. If you're not doing everything you possibly can to increase your chances for success/better pay you mostly have yourself to blame - not the promotion.

While I am sure the UFC could do more, fighters who complain about not getting paid more or treated well most likely aren't doing much to make the UFC want to do more for them.