Former UFC star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has spoken out regarding the controversy surrounding a deleted episode of the “Jaxxon Podcast” featuring Bryce Mitchell. The episode, which was swiftly removed, sparked heated debate among fans and critics alike.
Jackson’s Explanation
In a video posted while battling a cold, Jackson addressed the situation, clarifying that his podcast co-host Bear Degidio was responsible for booking Mitchell well in advance. According to Jackson, Bear handles all logistics, including flights and accommodations for guests.
“Bear wanted me to be more serious for that because it was really serious,” Jackson explained. “What some of y’all people don’t understand is that we were just telling him, ‘You got a platform now, you’re famous.'”
Jackson further revealed that Mitchell has allegedly been receiving threats following his appearance on the podcast. He emphasized that their intention was not to encourage controversy but to ensure that Mitchell’s career wasn’t jeopardized by his words.
“What if Bryce wants to go and do movies afterward? What if Bryce wants to make country songs about raising chickens?” Jackson said, suggesting that unchecked comments could negatively impact Mitchell’s future opportunities.
The Decision to Delete the Podcast
According to Jackson, Bear made the call to remove the episode, not out of concern for himself or criticism aimed at him, but due to the inappropriate comments that appeared beneath the video.
“Bear deleted the podcast. Not because of him looking bad or comments about him. Because he said there was a lot of inappropriate comments and stuff on there,” Jackson stated.
While Jackson personally disagreed with taking down the episode, he understood Bear’s reasoning. He acknowledged that being a public figure requires careful navigation of speech, especially in an era where backlash is swift and often unforgiving.
“Y’all need to chill out and take a seat and look at the big picture. When you’re a public figure, you can’t be saying all that stuff,” Jackson said, implying that Mitchell’s statements could have long-term consequences.
Confrontation Over Mitchell’s Comments
Mitchell’s controversial remarks, which involved historical references that many found offensive, led to backlash from UFC President Dana White and the broader MMA community. On the now-deleted podcast, Mitchell attempted to clarify his statements but was met with strong opposition from both Jackson and Degidio.
Degidio directly confronted Mitchell, shutting down any attempts to justify or reframe the remarks. “Those extremist ideologies, the things he did to millions of people, are some of the most disgusting, most evil things the world has ever seen,” Degidio asserted.
Jackson, who disclosed that his full-time chef is Jewish, explained that they had already booked Mitchell prior to the controversy. However, they chose to proceed with the episode to address the issue directly.
Fallout and Social Media Reactions
After the episode’s removal, Jackson took to social media to clarify the decision. In one post, he wrote:
“To all the people that don’t understand why Bear and I talked to Bryce Mitchell the way we did, it’s pointless to try to explain it. He has a family and a career, some things are better off unsaid on air 😉 the rest of you are smart af 🫡.”
When a fan praised him and Degidio for guiding Mitchell, Jackson responded:
“You’re one of the smart ones, y’all know I say and do some f—ed up sh— 😂 we just want the young buck to be careful not to say some sh— that he can’t come back from. The world is soft now. As soon as he says something y’all don’t like y’all gonna turn on him and scream CTE 🤷🏽♂️.”
What’s next?
The removal of the podcast underscores how quickly words can spiral into controversy, especially in an age where social media amplifies every misstep. While Mitchell has maintained that his comments were taken out of context, the backlash serves as a stark reminder of the fine line public figures must walk when addressing sensitive topics.
Jackson’s complete statement:
“No, normally I don’t do this s—, but I think it’s a good time to do it. I’ve been doing a podcast for a little over a year now, and I’m new to this s—. I almost didn’t want to do a podcast, but my brother Bear talked me into doing it.”
“And, you know, it was fun. I like to joke around and have fun, and that’s what I like to do. But you guys know why I’m addressing y’all. We had Bryce Mitchell on, and that motherf—– was saying some crazy a– s— out there.”
“What y’all don’t know is that Bear, he runs everything. I come in and sit down. He has all the notes and stuff like that. What y’all see of me, none of that s— is rehearsed or practiced. I don’t have any questions written out or anything like that.”
“Bear already had Bryce Mitchell booked for a long time. Bear pays for flights, hotels, and all that stuff. That s— adds up—all those guests that you guys get to see and stuff like that, Bear pays for that s—, and I think it comes out of his pocket.”
“Forgive me, I got a little cold and s—, that’s why I really don’t want to do this video. And I don’t know how long Twitter will let me post this video—I think you can only do a minute on Twitter. S—, anyway, I figured it out.”
“So, Bear wanted me to be more serious for that episode because it was really serious. Some of you f—— d——- don’t understand how serious the s— that Bryce was saying was. I’m not saying I was against what Bryce was saying, and I’m not saying I was for what he was saying. All I was talking about was, man, you got a motherf—— family.”
“There are weak-a–, sensitive-a– motherf—— in this world, and freedom of speech is like the only freedom—as long as you don’t f—— hurt motherf——‘ feelings, they go crying and s—. And look at y’all now, all crying and s—. Some of y’all mad at Bryce for saying that s—, and some of y’all not. I was just telling him to be careful what he says.”
“What y’all don’t know is Bryce—I don’t know if he’s talked about it, because I don’t watch everything that motherf—– does—is getting death threats and stuff like that. Motherf—— ain’t given me death threats yet, but motherf—— calling me racist s—, monkey, and all that. But I’m gonna let y’all know, y’all wasting your motherf—— time, because I don’t give a f— about that s—. I’m from the South, I’ve been called every g—— thing, and that s— don’t bother me. It just shows me how ignorant you are.”
“Anybody that doesn’t like somebody because of their race means you’re insecure and you’re not happy with yourself. I guarantee you, 99.9% of y’all motherf—— that don’t like n—– because they’re a n—–, or call somebody a n—– or a black motherf—–, it’s because you’re mad that when you go pee, your balls get wet. That’s the problem. You’re mad at yourself, and that’s why you say s—. But that s— don’t bother me.”
“The point is, what some of y’all don’t understand is we were just telling him—you got a platform now, you’re famous. All you other cronies can say whatever the f— you want on Twitter and the internet. You can say what the f— you want because you ain’t famous. Yeah, some people might get screenshot, maybe lose their job if they go viral, but you know what I’m saying? Say Bryce retires from the UFC, gets hurt, and retires—then what? The people he was talking about, most times, you’re gonna be working for them or some s— like that.”
“It’s best to keep your f—— mouth shut. You don’t gotta tell everybody all your opinions. I have opinions about a whole lot of s—, like the flat earth s—. Some of y’all don’t believe in that s——so f—— what? I choose to believe in the Earth the way God described it in the Bible. If you don’t believe that, I don’t give a f—. I’m not trying to cram it down your throat.”
“That’s why I was telling Bryce—some of the s— you believe, just teach it to your kids. You don’t gotta put the s— out there so you don’t get canceled and can continue to make a living. What if Bryce wants to go and do movies afterward? What if Bryce wants to make country songs about raising chickens? He raises chickens! What if he wants to do other s—? Y’all don’t think about that. Y’all just jump to conclusions like motherf—— sold out.”
“Y’all don’t look at the bigger picture. It just shows me how immature and unsmart you guys are. Some of y’all don’t think about that. I’m not talking to everybody—I’m just talking to the dumb motherf—— who want to come on my platforms and call me names, racial names, and say all this b——. I just look at y’all like, man, y’all stupid as f—.”
“Bear was stressed out that day. If I’m telling the full truth—no, we’ve been filming behind-the-scenes s—. Normally, when they start filming, I come in, and they grab the cameras because y’all never know what type of s— I’m gonna say. I do this s— whether the camera’s on or not. Something’s wrong with me. I ain’t right in the head. I’ve always been that way.”
“So I came dressed up in my Saudi Arabia gear that I got when I was out there for Francis Ngannou’s fight with Tyson Fury. I like that s—. That s— feels good. I’ve been dying to wear that Saudi Arabia outfit. I love the way I look—I look like a f—— billionaire in that s—. I look like I fit in over there. So I ain’t gonna lie, I’ve been trying to entertain y’all on the podcast. That’s all I’ve been trying to do.”
“Hold on, sorry guys, I’m sick. I should get mine. I should get mine. Sorry y’all had to see me like this. I got a f—— cold. I hate having a cold.”
“Anyway, y’all motherf—— dragging Bear—he was stressed as f— because he has a brand to worry about. I told Bear, “Bro, if you so stressed out, just cancel the motherf—–.” He was like, “I paid for all this.” Then he said, “Worst come to worst, if he says something, I just won’t put it out.”
“So we did the podcast with Bryce, and he told me, “Hey, this is not the time to joke around and stuff like that.” Bryce can keep saying s— and maybe f— up his career. And you know Dana White—Dana White cursed him out, but they haven’t kicked him out. This guy’s a good guy. He got kids and s—. So let’s try to tell him to just be careful what he says.”
“And that ain’t me. I ain’t the type of motherf—– to be telling motherf—— what to do. But I’m gonna be honest—I’m proud of Bear for how he runs s—. I learned a lot from that little young n—–. He’s smart, but he was just wrong on this one. He should have taken my advice.”
“Y’all need to chill out and look at the big picture. When you’re a public figure, you can’t be saying all that s—. Look at what happened to Kanye. He bounced back, but look at what happened. That’s why I don’t do politics.”
“I don’t care what religion you are. I don’t care what race you are. I don’t even care about your sexual orientation. That’s your business. I don’t care about none of that s—. As long as you’re a good person.”
“Some of y’all, the s— y’all saying in my comments tells me y’all ain’t good people. And I ain’t f—— with y’all. But all y’all who are good people, I f— with y’all. I got mad love for y’all.”
