Quinton Jackson and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently hosted an episode of the JAXXON podcast. In the episode, Jackson shared a surprising revelation.
He recounted a pivotal moment in his career, when he informed UFC CEO Dana White about an injury prior to his match against Ryan Bader in Japan, back in February 2012. Due to his immense popularity in Japan, he chose to go ahead with the match. However, Jackson ultimately suffered a unanimous decision loss due to the injury.
This decision led Dana White to publicly question Jackson’s dedication to the sport. The aftermath of White’s betrayal shattered Jackson’s passion for competing, prompting him to reconsider his stance on never withdrawing from a match.
Jackson expressed his sentiments saying: “First thing Dana do in the press conference like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on with ‘Rampage.’ I don’t think he has it. I don’t think he want it anymore.’ I was like, ‘Man!’ That’s when I, after all the sh** Dana did to me, when he did that sh**, that’s when I kind of got pi**ed at him.”
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley also faced a similar predicament. He entered his title matchup against Demian Maia in July 2017, despite a torn labrum in his dominant right arm. White was aware of Woodley’s condition, yet publicly criticized him for his performance in a unanimous decision victory over Maia.
Woodley demanded a public apology from Dana White, but received an angry response instead. He couldn’t help but draw a sharp contrast between White’s public comments about him and his treatment of then-UFC favorite Paige VanZant.
Woodley pointed out, “You just told everybody nobody wanna watch me fight [after the Maia matchup]. But you just praised Paige VanZant — Bless her heart. That’s my dawg. She fought a tough fight. She was courageous. And she lost the fight when she lost with that arm. Remember when she was fighting Jessica-Rose Clark? But they saluted her on fighting injured.”
In January 2018, Paige VanZant displayed incredible tenacity in a three-round unanimous decision defeat against Jessica-Rose Clark, despite a gruesome arm injury sustained while attempting a spinning back fist in round two. Dana White and many others commended VanZant for her unwavering determination.
However, her losses in the UFC did impact her star status. Following her UFC 251 defeat in July 2020, White advised her to explore free agency.
VanZant took the leap, eventually making her professional wrestling debut for AEW and even venturing into the bare-knuckle boxing arena with BKFC. She also candidly discussed UFC competitor pay, emphasizing that her career as an OnlyF**s model significantly boosted her earnings.