(To the victor go the spoils. / Photoshop via MRuss)

Cage Potato is pleased to announce that a troubling legal matter has been settled in our favor. After being named as a defendant in a June 2009 defamation lawsuit filed by MMA trainer Juanito Ibarra, we’ve finally been removed from the frivolous suit, and Cage Potato’s parent company has been awarded $61,075 in attorney fees and associated costs.

The lawsuit stemmed from a September 2008 PunchDrunkGamer.com interview with Tito Ortiz, in which Ortiz claimed that Ibarra had overcharged Quinton Jackson for his training camps, which led to Jackson severing professional ties with Ibarra. Like many other sites, Cage Potato quoted the interview in a blog post, and gave our own thoughts on the matter. Nine months later, Ibarra responded by filing suit against CagePotato.com — as well as Ortiz, Jackson, and over 20 web sites and writers — claiming that we damaged his reputation by publishing false information.

(Friends forever. Or until somebody steals from somebody else like a total scumbag. Sorry, alleged scumbag. Photo courtesy of Combat Lifestyle.)

As much as we were hoping that James Toney would get smart and head down to Greg Jackson’s New Mexico gym for a little MMA 101 and some positive reinforcement/visualization sessions, it seems like he has other plans. MMA Junkie reports that Toney has tapped Juanito Ibarra to help him transition from boxing into MMA. You remember Ibarra, right? Dude with the hat, used to train “Rampage” Jackson, then allegedly screwed him out of a bunch of money, which led to ‘Page living on energy drinks until his mind went all looney tunes on him and he ended up face down on the pavement after police chased his monster truck through the streets of southern California? And once Jackson dumped him he reportedly offered to train other UFC light heavyweights to beat his former fighter?  Yeah, that’s the guy.

Ibarra says that he and Toney “have good personal chemistry,” adding, “I just don’t jump in with anybody.”

We’re not sure if that means Ibarra is one of the few people on the planet who can actually understand the words coming out of Toney’s mouth these days, or whether it just means that they don’t actively hate each other. We don’t mind saying that Toney could have done better (and, you know, less sleazy) in his search for an MMA trainer, but as long as he keeps one hand on his wallet and demands to see an itemized list of training camp expenditures, he should make out okay.

(Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle)

It’s good to see some people have honor when it comes to competition. Too bad not everybody does. From Fighters Only:

Appearing on Brazil Combate TV yesterday, [Wanderlei] Silva said: “I’ve received a letter from someone offering training with Juanito [Ibarra] to me, but I didn’t care to accept it.

The letter “contained phone numbers that I could use to get in touch with Juanito, but I threw it away,” he added.

“I think it’s unethical to accept the former coach of my opponent, and if Juanito is doing this with Rampage, he may do the same with me later.”

It’s pretty despicable to think of Quinton Jackson‘s former coach selling secrets to the enemy, so to speak. (Not that Silva needs much help as far as game-planning for Jackson. Repeatedly kneeing him in the face has worked like a charm so far.) It’s particularly unfortunate because Jackson’s little meltdown last July was spurred by some perceived betrayal by Ibarra, and hearing that Ibarra wants to join up with his arch-nemesis can’t be good for Rampage’s psyche.

But hey, if Rampage is interested in the "formula" to beat Silva, Ibarra’s got that too…

(“I’ll pose with you bitches but I ain’t gonna enjoy it.”)

Though the rumored UFC 91 match between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva has yet to be confirmed by the UFC or by either fighter, sources at Wolfslair Academy tell MMA Junkie that Rampage has already begun a six-week fight camp in preparation for the November 15th scrap. If those shifty limeys can be believed, the Jackson/Silva bout will serve as the co-main event for the Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar headlining fight. UFC 91 is slated to go down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will also feature a lightweight bout between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.

Hopefully Jackson can keep his head clear in the run-up to his third attempt at not getting KTFO by Wanderlei, because the fight isn’t the only thing he’ll be dealing with. Jackson is scheduled to appear in court on November 3rd, where it will be determined whether or not he’ll go to trial for his July arrest; Jackson pled not guilty to felony counts of evading police, hit-and-run and reckless driving.

Rampage’s former trainer Juanito Ibarra has been laying low since Jackson’s one-man monster truck rally in Costa Mesa, but SI.com’s Josh Gross dug him up for an interview that’s chock-full of vague, evasive statements. For example:

(Kongo beats down Cro Cop at UFC 75. Photo courtesy of Graciemag.com.)

The UK’s Wolfslair Academy has revealed to Eurosport-Yahoo! that they’ve taken over the management and training of UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Kongo will follow his friend and training partner Quinton Jackson across the pond; both men had previously trained with Juanito Ibarra, who may or may not have been skimming money from Rampage. According to Wolfslair co-owner Anthony McGann:

“[Cheick] was having some problems negotiating his new contract with the UFC and was looking for somewhere to train so it was an easy decision for him to join his mates…He has been training with Quinton for his last couple of fights, and we know that has not been a happy camp. We think he will be a happier fighter here; he is only a couple of hours from his home in Paris and we will be taking all the other distractions like sponsorship out of his hands…Cheick excels when he fights strikers so if he is going to step up there and keep improving, we know we need to improve his ground game. We are very pro-UFC and they want him to work on his ground game; we hope we can get a striker for his next fight in the meantime.”

With four UFC regulars on the team — including Michael Bisping and Paul Kelly, who will both be competing at UFC 89 next month — Wolfslair is on its way to becoming the most prominent MMA camp outside of the U.S. Not that McGann would be satisfied with that:

“We want to show the rest of the world that we are up there with the USA in terms of the quality of our gyms and that in terms of the UFC, we are up there with the top two or three teams in the world.”

Kongo (12-4) holds a 5-2 record in the UFC, with three of those wins by first-round KO/TKO. Though he was buzzed about as the next opponent for Brock Lesnar until Randy Couture returned to the UFC, his next fight date and opponent are currently undetermined.

(Big mistake.)

With Juanito Ibarra out of his life, Quinton Jackson was down a trainer and a business manager. But according to Fighters Only Magazine, he’s found both at Wolfslair Academy, the Liverpool, England-based MMA team that’s home to UFC fighters Michael Bisping and Paul Kelly. Jackson has signed a three-year deal that will make Wolfslair responsible for managing all aspects of his career, from training camps to securing sponsorships. According to gym co-owner Anthony McGann:

“After the Forrest fight, he felt that his training hadn’t been quite right. He was deeply disappointed in his performance and he felt like he needed to change some things in his life. He came to us as we’ve all been friends for a long time. He feels that training in England can help him focus, which can be difficult in California because of his star status. He’s relatively unknown in England…He will be training when he can in England and the Wolfslair will be running his camps up in Big Bear when he is preparing for his fights.”

Oddly, McGann mentioned that Jackson’s split with Juanito Ibarra was amicable, and they parted on good terms — which runs contrary to every other report on the subject. As for Jackson, he seems very enthusiastic about his new camp, since their vibe seems to mesh with his own:

(Just a couple of perfectly sane guys hanging out. Photo courtesy of Combat Lifestyle.)

Suddenly former UFC champ “Rampage” Jackson is his normal self again. He showed up at yesterday’s UFC 87 press conference, laughing and joking and acting as if nothing unusual had happened. The UFC seems intent on downplaying the whole situation, even the really difficult parts, such as the woman who miscarried some time after being hit in Jackson’s “delirium”-fueled car chase. Dana White is even helping out, though maybe he shouldn’t:

“That one is out there like, ‘He hit her and she lost her baby,’ ” White said. “It was a week later. He knocked her mirror off her car. Rampage said, and he’ll tell you when you talk to him, ‘I care about everybody. I care about all life. I would never hurt anybody.’

“That’s the way he is,” White said. “Now he’s in a situation where somebody’s trying to civil sue him and make some money. Absolutely not. Absolutely not, this is not a criminal thing. No way. I’m no lawyer and I’m no judge, (but) this stuff will be worked out in the court.”

Not sure if blaming the victim in a hit-and-run is the best tactic, even if you believe she’s trying to take advantage of the situation. Then again, that is Dana White’s style. Losing your baby a week after being hit by a pro fighter in his run from the law, that’s just something you have to work through. The question is, do you want to be a f-cking mother?

Rampage didn’t discuss that particular situation with reporters, but did comment briefly on the situation with trainer Juanito Ibarra who, it was pointed out, was something of a father figure to the champ before their split:

“That’s what hurts,” Jackson said. “I can’t say. You guys will find out soon enough.”

We will? Care to give us the exact date on which we’ll find out? Because I hate being kept in suspense like this.

(Better times. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.com)

The split with trainer Juanito Ibarra is said to have precipitated former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson’s mental breakdown, but Ibarra himself has been quiet on the issue. While he still refuses to talk to about exactly what happened between he and Rampage, he does seem to be deeply affected by it in this talk with MMA Junkie:

“I’m devastated by what he’s been through and some of the things I’ve heard,” said Ibarra. “I’ve not sat down with Quinton to this day to discuss things. I pray for his well-being, and if I helped Quinton out a little bit with his growth in the sport, then I’ve been very blessed and honored to do that. I love this kid with all my heart, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

[...]

“I’m not going to get in to storytelling. … It’s not what I’m about. I haven’t sat down with Quinton Jackson, and I’m not going to hear things through sources and through people. This is a kid I’ve been with for almost four years. I have nothing but love and support for him. All I want for Quinton right now is what’s best for him. Whatever he needs from me in any way, I’m here for him and always have been.”

Recent reports have attributed the split to money, but as more information on Jackson’s mental state becomes apparent it seems less and less likely, if only for the reason that money is way too normal a thing for fighters and trainers to squabble over, and nothing about this situation seems normal. Particularly since Ibarra seems to be as much of a spiritual adviser as a trainer to Jackson, perhaps a reconciliation of some kind could really help the former champ.

(Photo courtesy of CageToday.)

Josh Gross has a lengthy update on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in his SI column, and while it’s good to hear any news on the troubled former UFC champ, nothing that Gross passes along could be classified as “reassuring.” First and foremost, Rampage and his trainer/manager Juanito Ibarra have indeed parted ways:

With defeat as the impetus, Jackson responded to rough terrain by relieving the trainer of his duties, though “bottom line, somehow, someway it all involves money,” said the fighter’s friend.

Jackson is now out of psychiatric observation and is attending outpatient treatment on a daily basis, but he didn’t seem completely cured after his initial release.

“He would still make comments that were slightly weird,” said Jackson’s longtime associate. “You could tell that he wasn’t all the way there, but each day you could tell he was better…He knows what he went through,” said the source. “He knew he had an emotional breakdown that led to a mental breakdown.”

There’s a few other things worth pulling from the article. First off, Jackson came to the Lord under duress. (“In 2004, Jackson…claimed he was touched by Jesus in a dream, scaring him enough to bolt from his apartment with his son D’Angelo in tow. That night he was born again.”) Second, at the time of his PRIDE 28 rematch with Wanderlei Silva, he hadn’t eaten for three days, because he had read on the Internet that fasting would keep the devil away.

(Hey, cool shirt.)

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

[Dana] White originally said Friday that Jackson was to be held for 72 hours [at a medical facility for a psychiatric evaluation], but that the time period would be extended.

Jackson instead was reportedly spotted at the Affliction card in Anaheim on Saturday night, just after the 72 hours would have expired. White essentially confirmed Jackson’s attendance at the rival card, saying he had asked White’s permission to attend.

Rampage has yet to make a public statement, and the continued silence of manager/trainer Juanito Ibarra may give credence to the rumors that he had a falling out with Jackson prior to his first arrest. Personally, I don’t think being anywhere near Megadeth as they rip through highlights from Rust in Peace is the best idea for someone in a fragile mental state. (By the way, if Matt Lindland is worth $300,000 per fight, and Tim Sylvia is worth $800,000, doesn’t that make Quinton Jackson worth like $5,000,000? Dana better not let him too far out of his sight.) Anyway, we’ll let you know if there are any more public Rampage sightings, so stay tuned…

(Brandon Vera in Maxim. It was either this or another picture of Sokoudjou.)

As expected, Brandon Vera’s frank account of who turned down fights with him is making at least one fighter bristle. From Fighthype:

“It would have been stupid for me to take the Vera fight on short notice,” stated UFC light heavyweight contender [Rameau Thierry] Sokoudjou as he talked about why he wasn’t willing to fight Brandon Vera on the July 19th UFC Fight Night card. Sokoudjou explains that his management team is aware of the fact that he likes to have 8 weeks to prepare for his fights. Although he admits to being offered the fight, he says he was “on vacation and busy living it up in Europe” at the time it was offered and that he wasn’t training or thinking about fighting so soon…

“What has he done for me to fear him,” Sokoudjou stated in closing as he made it clear that he’s not afraid to face any fighter.

So there you have it — “The Truth” might have a new rival on his hands. Also on Fighthype today is this sort-of-bizarre interview with John Hackleman, where the “Pit Boss” says the following:

— Forrest Griffin “definitely” should have won the decision against Quinton Jackson, although the frst round should have been a 10-8 round for Rampage. Not sure how the math works out on that one, but that’s what he said.
— Juanito Ibarra was very un-Christian for vowing to retire if Rampage lost, and then not retiring.
— If someone makes a bad call at The Pit, they’re beaten, hogtied, and dragged behind a speeding car. But don’t worry, they don’t do that to black people. In fact, the last person they did it to was a Mexican. Feel better?

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did not suffer serious injury in his bout with Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, as was initially feared. Instead of waiting until January to get back in action, the former champ was cleared by a doctor to get back in the gym next week, trainer Juanito Ibarra said:

“After the fight, he had a knot the size of a cantaloupe on his shin,” Jackson’s trainer, Juanito Ibarra, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’ve never seen anything like it in all the years I’ve been in the fight game. It was ugly. The next day it went down. Today, there’s no bump at all. The doctor said he’s fine. It’s a deep bone bruise now. He’s totally fine. There’s no damage. All we’re waiting for now is the rematch.”

[...]

“Forrest said after the fight he didn’t want to do it again, but he had to, remember? He said that because he felt in his heart he didn’t win that fight. Let the kids heal, and let’s get it on.”

This is good news for the UFC, whose options just got better with so many possible light heavyweight matches at their disposal.

As for Ibarra, he insists he is not going back on his vow to retire if Jackson lost:

(Photo courtesy of Sherdog)

Juanito Ibarro is mad. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s trainer told Sherdog that his fighter “was robbed” on Saturday night. He even plans to protest the decision — one of those great and entirely symbolic acts on par with kicking dirt on the umpire’s shoes or voting for a third party presidential candidate.

At the heart of Ibarra’s complaints, it seems, are two points: 1) the first round should have belonged to Jackson on every judge’s scorecard, perhaps even as a 10-8 round, since the most significant action of the round was a knockdown from his right uppercut, and 2) you have to beat the champion.

On the first point, Ibarra has something of a case. Calling it 10-8 for Jackson is a stretch, but knocking Griffin down in a round that saw no other major action should be enough to win the opening frame. On the second point, well, this is where it begins to get tricky.

The conventional wisdom in the fight game says that you can’t win the title with a close decision. You have to go out and really take it away from the champion, either by finishing him or absolutely dominating him. Griffin didn’t do that. Whether you think the decision was the right one or not, the fight was certainly very close. But should the title change hands via razor-thin decision?

From Sherdog, here’s a video of Quinton Jackson working out at the gym and running down Saturday’s matchup with Forrest Griffin, including why he thinks Forrest’s win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua wasn’t impressive. Juanito Ibarra stops by to say that Forrest will go back to bad habits, and Zach Light attests to Jackson’s hatred of training. We look forward to seeing if Rampage-with-hair is just as fearsome as shiny-domed Rampage.

Check out the intro to SpikeTV’s “Countdown to UFC 86″ special, which features Juanito Ibarra vowing to retire if Rampage loses. Finally, this fight matters!

Here’s a segment on Patrick Cote from the “Countdown” show, which details his hard luck in the Octagon before putting together consecutive wins against Scott Smith, Kendall Grove and Drew McFedries.

And finally, a slam-packed Rampage Jackson highlight clip, courtesy of the UFC.

…and Stitch and Juanito look awesome.

(Images courtesy of 1up.com via BloodyElbow)

Tonight at 1 a.m. ET/PT, Spike TV’s GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley will unveil the first gameplay footage trailer from THQ’s UFC 2009 video game; UFC prez Dana White will be on hand to introduce the clip. 1up.com has a gallery of screen-shots for the highly-anticipated game, and a behind-the-scenes featurette with Rampage and Cheick Kongo getting their motion-capture on is after the jump.