Rampage claims that relationship with UFC worsened after victory over Chuck Lidell

Q.Rampage (left) knocks out C.Lidell (right) at UFC 71. Photo: Disclosure (UFC)

Today at Bellator, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson still keeps some of the old organization’s hurt feelings alive. In an interview with the website Bleacher Report, Rampage stated that he began to be mistreated by Ultimate after beating hall of famer Chuck Lidell in 2007.

“Dana White really wanted me because I was the last guy Chuck (Liddell) wanted to get revenge on. Everyone was really nice to me. I'm saying that when I beat Marvin Eastman, everyone, the people behind the scenes at the UFC were really like one big family. Chuck was part of that family. They were always good to me, like a pig going to the slaughter, and then, after I beat Chuck, immediately, 90% of them started to hate me. They didn't talk to me anymore, they didn't smile at me when I went back there. It made me feel uncomfortable”, revealed the fighter.

When he was beaten by Rampage, Chuck Lidell was one of the main athletes on the UFC roster. The light heavyweight was the title holder in the category and had achieved good victories against Randy Couture (with whom he had one of the organization's main rivalries) and Tito Ortiz. The fight was a rematch of the last defeat suffered by Lidell until then, in the semi-final of the 2003 Gran Prix of the extinct PRIDE.