Rampage/Bellator

[Kingz]

Newton is probably the 5th "biggest name" in the division and plus there is a team connection which he originally cited. I'm sure if Mo had gone on to become Bellator champ, Rampage wouldn't avoid a fight for the belt. He's just looking for the fights that will get the most attention...and frankly, a fight with Newton belt or no belt isn't that fight and it's not like he would sell it by disrespecting pretty much a teammate.

Nice thinly veiled(or maybe not so much) "Bellator's belt don't mean shit" thread tho.

 

[Soul On Ice]

I think he would have fought his friend and training partner for Bellator but after they got rid of Bjorn and gave him the bill for the knee surgery that he was made to believe they were paying for...I don't think he'll be doing them any favors.

Seems to be more interested in fighting James Toney, Titties from TUF and re-matching King Mo.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

This is incorrect. Hendo and Rampage were friends from Pride and they had a bit of training together...they were never part of the same gym or training camps or had the same coaches, in fact, they had opposing gyms and camps, like when Rampage fought Lindland, Hendo's old training partner.
Rampage trained directly with Tito and they were friendly but Rampage always said Tito was a douche, as most people know.
Newton is directly linked to his gym and training camp...

Plus fighting Hendo for the unified Pride-UFC belt is a little more attractive than fighting Newton for the Bellator belt.

As someone said above... I think that Jackson only want to get random fights instead of having responsabilities in defending a belt.

 

[spikemma]

I think he respects newton and had a personal relationship with him.

Rampage will and would beat anyone in bellator. I'd love to see him - Tito

 

[Tuf_guy]

Is sort of like the "we both got a BJJ black belt under a Gracie so we won't fight" thing? If so, that's ridiculous. I understand full-time, long-term training partners not fighting (Cormier-Cain, Nate-Gil), but this is a huge stretch. Sounds more like a prima donna who wants to cherry pick his own fights.

Sounds like you're just inclined to hate on Rampage a bit. He doesn't want to fight the guy. He knows him. They have the same training partners etc. He's said it paraphrased "We got all the same training partners - and who would train with who, and who would train where..."

Not wanting to fight someone because you have some kind of friendship and overlapping training camps doesn't make someone a prima donna

 

[DizzyYeahYeah]

I thought they both had the same wrestling coach who recently passed?

Or maybe they share a different wrestling coach.