(Props: Yardbarker.com)

Holy crap, you guys. Here’s the first trailer for Never Surrender, which stars Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Heath Herring, and Quinton Jackson. Judging from the preview, the movie seems to be about UFC stars kicking people. But according to the plot summary on IMDb, there’s more to it than that:

Never Surrender is an erotically charged [Ed. note: seriously?], controversial action-thriller set in the world of underground street fighting where an MMA fighter who has been drawn into the world by an erotic [Ed. note: there's that word again!] and sexy promoter, quickly realizes that there is no way out, other than death.

Erotic and sexy, huh? Might this mysterious promoter be based on Gary Shaw, perhaps? Never Surrender is written and directed by Hector Echavarria, and will hit theaters in the Spring. Someday a smart filmmaker will make a good movie about above-ground street fighting, but for now this will have to do.

After the jump: A new promo for WEC 37, where Frank Mir talks about what a beast Miguel Torres is. The clip they show at 0:39-0:42 is just one of the reasons that Torres’s most recent fight against Yoshiro Maeda was immediately hailed as a fight-of-the-year candidate.

(Props: MMA Mania)

UFC 90 was profoundly disappointing, and UFC 91 doesn’t offer much outside of Randy vs. Brock, but the UFC promises to make up for it and then some with “The Ultimate 2008,” their stacked-to-death year-end card (December 27th, Las Vegas). The official lineup for the event was announced yesterday with the additions of Matt Hamill, C.B. Dollaway, Cheick Kongo, and Yushin Okami. Here’s what we’ll be seeing…

Main card
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans (for light-heavyweight championship)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir (for interim heavyweight championship)
CB Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio (middleweights)
Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson (light-heavyweights)
Cheick Kongo vs. Mustafa Al-Turk (heavyweights)

Undercard
Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister (middleweights)
Antoni Hardonk vs. Mark Burch (heavyweights)
Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy (light-heavyweights)
Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn (welterweights)
Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry (heavyweights)

Why Dollaway vs. Massenzio gets a main card slot over Okami vs. Lister is anyone’s goddamned guess. But it’s hard to complain with those three headlining fights. Any early predictions? Remember, “The Ultimate 2008″ isn’t the only card the UFC is putting on in December — there’s also “Fight for the Troops” on December 10th in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the TUF 8 finale on December 13th (location TBA). Both events will be aired on Spike.

(Sample images courtesy of Viking Studio. Click thumbnails for larger versions.)

This month marks the release of Fighter: The Fighters of the UFC, a collection of black-and-white portraits of over 100 UFC fighters, shot by acclaimed photographer/Coach president Reed Krakoff. The book features a foreword by Sam Sheridan, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Yellow Ribbon Fund. According to the press release, “The striking images are juxtaposed with quotes from each fighter, whose candor will be surprising to even die-hard UFC fans.” And the best part is, we’re giving away three copies to you, our loyal readers. Just provide a clever caption to the photo that’s after the jump, and we’ll pick our favorites on Friday. Feel free to enter more than once; good luck…

Above is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson‘s complete appearance in Midnight Meat Train, a weird little horror flick which made back just $73,548 of its reported $15,000,000 budget during its very-limited release in August. Jackson plays some sort of Guardian Angel who likes to harass strangers. Vinnie Jones plays a mild-mannered looking dude with a bad cough and a penchant for beating people to death with a steel mallet. When they meet, it’s cinematic magic. (Actually, it’s the most broke-ass fight scene since They Live.)

(If you look up “pwned” in the dictionary, you’ll see this picture.)

Dana White has revealed to Yahoo! Sports’s Kevin Iole that in addition to the interim heavyweight title match between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir, UFC 92 will also feature Forrest Griffin defending his light-heavyweight belt against Rashad Evans, and the third battle between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva; the event will go down on December 27th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Other likely fights include…

Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister
Cheick Kongo vs. Mustafa Al-Turk
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jorge Rivera
Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn

Not too shabby so far, though we can’t shake the feeling that it’s still a bit too early for Rampage to be stepping into the cage with his arch-nemesis. That being said, Big Nog by submission in the championship rounds, Griffin by decision, and Silva by TKO in round 2. Feel free to throw in your own early predictions in the comments section…

(Thiago Silva, back when beating Houston Alexander meant something. Photo courtesy of UFC.com.)

Tatame.com is reporting that the planned fight between top UFC light-heavyweight contenders Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva will go down at UFC 93 (January 31st, Las Vegas). The undefeated Brazilians were scheduled to meet at next month’s UFC 89, but Silva’s back injury nixed the match. Though Machida recently expressed interest in facing Rashad Evans in a #1 contender bout, the UFC already had other plans for Evans, and The Dragon will simply have to wait three months and fight his original opponent.

Related: We know the rumor changes every week, but Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is now saying he’ll return to the Octagon at UFC 92 (December 27th, Las Vegas), and will fight Wanderlei Silva as long as Silva agrees to the bout. Regarding his two previous losses to Silva in PRIDE, Jackson told The Sun:

On those two days he was the better man. Hopefully I can change things this time around and it can be my night — if he takes the fight…[T]he UFC have approached a few people to take the fight and a couple of them have turned it down

I think Jackson avenging those past losses would be the feel-good MMA story of the holiday season. So Wolfslair, it’s on you: Make sure the guy doesn’t fast before the fight, and please don’t steal his money. And if you do steal his money, could you at least hide the keys to his truck?

(“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.

(Amir Sadollah could be part of Couture/Lesnar’s supporting cast.)

— UFC lightweight Gleison Tibau has been forced to pull out of his UFC 90 match against Hermes Franca due to a shoulder injury; replacing him will be Franca’s longtime friend Marcus Aurelio. Franca and Aurelio trained together at American Top Team before Franca left the camp, which led to a feud between Franca and ATT.

— During an appearance at Combat Sports Challenge 26 in Colonial Heights, Virginia, TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah revealed that he expects his next fight to be at UFC 91 in November. His opponent should be announced in the near future.

— UFC 91 will also reportedly feature a heavyweight bout between Gabriel Gonzaga and UFC newcomer Josh Hendricks. Gonzaga is coming off a first-round submission win over Justin McCully at UFC 86 in July, which snapped a two-fight losing streak. Hendricks is a vet of various regional promotions who’s 9-0 with one no-contest in his last ten fights.

— Michael Bisping thinks that Quinton Jackson’s next fight will be in December, against either Wanderlei Silva or Mauricio Rua: “[E]ither way, revenge is the dish that’ll be served up on the night! I’m sure whoever he gets in December, everyone at the Wolfslair will be behind him 100 per cent and fingers crossed he’ll get his revenge.”

— The UFC recently reunited eight castmembers from The Ultimate Fighter‘s first season to film an upcoming TV special. MMA Junkie provides some advance highlights, like when Joe Rogan asked the cast how much better they did with the women after being part of the show:

“If you’re in a relationship you want out of, now is the time to speak up,” Stephan Bonnar shouted, laughing.

When no one was willing to talk, Rogan called them “a bunch of (expletives).”

Forrest Griffin, now the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, broke the tension by shouting, “Hey, I don’t know about you guys, but I was doing pretty good with the women before.”

(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:

MMA highlight-video master Genghis Con — whose nuts we’ve hugged in the past — went on the UG yesterday to plug his new video, which documents the “Beef” between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra. It’s as amazing as you’d expect, but while poking around his previous works, we came upon “Grand Theft Title 2,” an absolute gem from last year which focuses on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s killing spree in PRIDE’s 2005 Grand Prix, where he took out Quinton Jackson (at Total Elimination), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (at Critical Countdown), and then Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona in the same night (at Final Conflict); you can watch it above.

The GTA video game theme allows for fun touches like the “Change View” at -8:23 and “Unlocked: Foot Stomps” at -7:05, but the use of Liberty City‘s soundtrack really sets this one apart. How freaking cool is Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” playing during the Nogueira and Overeem fights? Con is on a whole ‘notha level. Anyway, check it out, tell a friend, and set aside some time to watch the rest.

(Photo courtesy of MMAPunch.)

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has formally charged Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for his July 15th vehicular misadventure in Costa Mesa. The former UFC light-heavyweight champ is looking at one felony count of evading while driving recklessly, one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic, three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage, and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. If you’re a lawyer and you know the difference between those two extremely similar-sounding felony charges, please enlighten us.

Jackson will enter his pleas to the charges during his arraignment on Thursday, which will take place in a Santa Ana, California, courtroom at 9 a.m. PT; he would receive a maximum sentence of three years in prison if convicted, though he could potentially receive as little as probation. Luckily for him, there will be no formal charges related to his collision with Holly Griggs, the woman who suffered a miscarriage two weeks after being sideswiped during Jackson’s “delirium”-fueled joyride:

“We reviewed all the medical records and spoke with the victim’s physician and the evidence showed that the loss of the fetus was not related to the crash,” said Farrah Emami, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

That may or may not rule out a future civil suit — again, lawyers, a little help? — but it’s clear that the cards all need to fall in Jackson’s favor if he hopes to fight again this year. Or next year, for that matter…

(Props: Sherdog)

(Murilo Rua and a devoted fan. Picture courtesy of Sherdog.)

— Murilo “Ninja” Rua, brother of UFC light-heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and the former EliteXC middleweight champion, will face IFL standout Benji Radach at EliteXC’s October 4th card on CBS. Radach hasn’t fought since his loss to Matt Horwich at the IFL World Grand Prix Finals last December, while Rua is coming off a first-round TKO victory over Tony Bonello at EliteXC: The Return of the King in June. It will be the first in a three-fight EliteXC contract for the American Top Team trained Radach.

— Speaking of Shogun, the older Rua brother’s rumored match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is looking more likely.

— And speaking of the EliteXC middleweight title, a rematch between belt-holder Robbie Lawler and Joey Villasenor is nearly a done deal for EliteXC’s November 8th card on Showtime. Lawler and Villasenor previously met at PRIDE 32 in October ’06, where Lawler won via flying knee KO in just 22 seconds.

— Matt Lindland’s next Affliction fight will be against UFC/BodogFight/Strikeforce vet Trevor Prangley, at “Day of Reckoning” on October 11th in Las Vegas. It’s been a long layoff for Prangley, who hasn’t competed since Strikeforce’s “Four Men Enter, One Man Survives” middleweight tournament last November, where he defeated Falaniko Vitale then lost to Jorge Santiago.

— Former IFL middleweight champ Dan Miller will make his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 15 (September 17th, Omaha) against Rob Kimmons, who most recently choked out Rob Yundt at the TUF 7 finale in June.

Just as Kenny Florian won’t be sitting on the bench until BJ Penn decides to give him a title shot, Penn also wants to get another fight in by the year’s end, even though Georges St. Pierre has said he doesn’t plan on returning to the Octagon until 2009. According to a report by MMA News, BJ’s brother JD has confirmed that the UFC’s lightweight champ is back in the gym and training for a fight in December, and his fight against GSP will likely be pushed back until February 2009 when the UFC holds it’s Superbowl Weekend card.

So maybe a Penn/Florian title fight at the end of the year is still a possibility? Then again, JD’s claim that BJ will fight in both late December (against TBA) and early February (against GSP) is so unlikely it’s barely worth discussing.

The good news is, the UFC’s year-end card could wind up being so stacked that it doesn’t even need a high-profile BJ Penn fight in the lineup. Besides the heavyweight title match between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir, NBCSports has suggested that a superfight between Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell as well as a light-heavyweight title match between Forrest Griffin and Wanderlei Silva are both outside possibilities. (It’s also been reported that the UFC is trying to set up a fight between Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva for a November event, despite Silva’s preference to fight on the December card.)

Potentially related: If Tyson Griffin beats Sean Sherk, he wants Kenny Florian next.

(Cain Velasquez: Don’t be scared, homey. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

— The arraignment of Quinton Jackson (which was supposed to take place today) has been postponed pending further investigation. According to an Orange County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson, “The district attorney’s office is responsible for filing charges and that case is still under investigation based on some new evidence that has been discovered…The recommendations of the police are taken into consideration, but it could be more charges or less charges, depending on what the evidence reports.”

— The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah will be back in the Octagon within the next couple months, against a yet-unnamed opponent. He’s moved from Virginia to Las Vegas to train with his old coach Forrest Griffin, and there’s no truth to the rumors of him dropping to welterweight.

— If his knee heals according to schedule, Matt Hughes should be settling his grudge with Matt Serra in January or February.

— The UFC is having a lot of trouble finding an opponent for Cain Velasquez. As Bloody Elbow’s Mchael Rome puts it, “[Velasquez] is very good, but he has no name value yet, so fighters don’t see any upside in facing him.”

— Brock Lesnar is subjected to some pretty dumb questions by the New York Times‘s Freakonomics blog; our own Ben Fowlkes gets a shout-out.

(TapouT MMA Cage Style Gloves, courtesy of GroundAndPound.)

Somehow, our Rampage caption contest became a fierce two-way horse race between “I bet you my next fight don’t go to no decision. I bet my whole purse, and this big dude on it!” and “disgruntled postal worker on a Rampage? Total cliche.” But in the end, Markdog’s TUF 7 reference picked up a full 43% of your votes, which means MARKDOG IS OUR BIG WINNER!

So Markdog: Please send your mailing address to feedback@cagepotato.com (with size preference: regular or large) and we’ll get those TapouT cage gloves right out to you. Apologies to Charles Fuller — we know how bad you wanted them. Special thanks to GroundandPound.com for providing the gloves, and thanks to everyone who wasn’t an insufferable prick during this contest. I’ve disabled comments on this one because, frankly, I’m tired of your bullshit.

Only 196 entries, guys? Seriously? It would have killed you to break 200?

On the real, though, the response to this one was mind-blowing. There’s no way we can just pick one winner, so we’ll call out our 10 favorites, and leave it up to you. Here are the finalists:

devilmonkey: We all have our cross to bear.

Ouch! That hurts: “and God, why in my time of troubles were there only one set of footprints in the Chili’s?”

Horror Fighter: “Lethal Weapon 5: This Time It’s Different Because the White Guy’s the Old One and the Black Guy’s the Crazy One.” (Ed. note: I chopped off the first half of this entry in the interest of brevity. You understand.)

Matt Herpes: This is what happens when you don’t put Rampage’s dressing on the side.

Savalas: 20 minutes later, the man that Rampage body-slammed tragically lost his food-baby.

baba: After his twelfth Awesome Blossom, Rampage has trouble distinguishing between his steel chain necklace and the waitstaff.

killa: okay…you can have the booth

Dollar Hot Dogs: disgruntled postal worker on a Rampage? Total cliche.

Markdog: “I bet you my next fight don’t go to no decision. I bet my whole purse, and this big dude on it!”

Charles Fuller: man i want those gloves. (Ed note: If you don’t think any of the above finalists are funny, feel free to vote for this one as a form of protest.)

Do your voting in the poll over there on the right, and we’ll announce the winner of those badass TapouT cage gloves (courtesy of GroundAndPound.com) this time tomorrow.

During this recent Q&A session (shot by the MMA Analyst), Mauricio “Shogun” Rua claimed that his next fight will likely be against Quinton Jackson in December. Rua and Jackson previously met at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 (4/23/2005), where Rua won by first-round knockout after some rib-crushing knee strikes and a trio of fight-ending soccer kicks.

If this is true, then the previous rumors about a third meeting between Rampage and Wanderlei Silva are false. In a new video interview on Sherdog, the Axe Murderer says that the UFC hasn’t spoken to him about a fight with Jackson, though he’d enjoy the matchup. (“A fight with him is a pleasure, because I don’t like him,” Silva says. He also pronounces “Rashad” as “Hasha.”) Unfortunately, this puts us back to square one on predicting who Wandy’s next opponent will be. He says he wants to rematch Chuck Liddell, but that fight may not happen until next year; if Liddell beats Rashad Evans next month, the Iceman’s next fight would very likely be Forrest Griffin for the light-heavyweight title. Wild guess: Wanderlei gets the winner of UFC 89′s Lyoto Machida/Thiago Silva match, but not until January or February.

(TapouT MMA Cage Style Gloves, courtesy of GroundAndPound.)

Here’s your chance to own a piece of the TapouT lifestyle without the dirty feeling of knowing you’re lining these guys‘ pockets. GroundAndPound.com has provided us with a pair of the MMA gloves shown above — and all you have to do to get them is provide the funniest caption to that picture of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson kicking ass at what appears to be a Chili’s. Contest ends Tuesday at midnight (ET). Feel free to enter multiple times, and please check out GroundAndPound for all your MMA gear needs. Good luck out there…

Dana White has told The Canadian Press that the UFC hopes to return to Montreal in November or December:

“I literally just left a meeting where we were talking about that,” UFC president Dana White told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. “We’re looking to come back to Montreal.”

The UFC’s Canadian debut — “Serra vs. St. Pierre 2″ in April — was a record-breaking event, drawing 21,390 fans to Montreal’s Bell Centre for a gate of $5 million. With a superfight between hometown boy Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn being discussed for the end of the year, it may be wise to begin making arrangements; if GSP beats Jon Fitch on Saturday, we wouldn’t be surprised if White makes an announcement about the UFC’s next Montreal card shortly after. Said White: “Obviously B.J. is pulling for GSP because he wants to fight him.”

In the same article, White discussed the condition of beleaguered former light-heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson, telling The Canadian Press that Rampage is A-OK:

“It wasn’t psychiatric at all, it was physical,” said White. “He had a physical condition — exhaustion, dehydration that caused delirium.”

White said Jackson, a California native, had remained in Las Vegas for a week after the fight and was fasting — living on energy drinks alone.

“Bad combination,” said White. “Physically and mentally he’s OK. Now he’s got some legal problems, obviously.”

Well sure, exhaustion and dehydration can cause delirium, but what could compel a person to fast and go on a Brawndo bender until they’re exhausted and dehydrated? Could it have maybe, possibly have been a psychiatric issue? See, you didn’t think about that, did you?

(Props: TKO Extreme)

(Photo courtesy of kozyndan.)

More bad news for Rampage — and unbelievably bad news for the pregnant woman he struck during his hit-and-run spree last month. The Daily Pilot has the story:

A Huntington Beach woman who was more than 16 weeks pregnant and who police said was injured in a hit-and-run crash with mixed martial artist Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on the 55 Freeway two weeks ago has had a miscarriage, her fiance said Friday.

Holli Griggs, 38, was driving her 2007 Cadillac Escalade in the left lane on the southbound 55 Freeway just south of Bay Street on July 15 when Jackson’s gray-and-green pick-up truck sideswiped her as he drove along the median lane at about 45 mph, California Highway Patrol officials said…Prosecutors would not comment on any potential charges due to Griggs’ miscarriage.

“Our office will make sure we take as much time as necessary to make a proper filing decision and including all evidence and medical information to make sure any charges that are filed are fair and accurate,” Dist. Atty. spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.

Griggs was unavailable for comment Friday. Her fiance, Bill Krebs, said doctors were immediately concerned when they noticed a significant loss of fluid in Griggs’ womb after the accident. Days before the crash, the couple had visited the doctor for an ultrasound, and Griggs was told she “had enough fluid for three babies,” Krebs said. She was pregnant with a boy…

The couple have retained an attorney but have yet to take legal action against Jackson.

Whoa. A miscarriage is a tragedy in any context, and not to be too insensitive regarding Jackson’s possible mental condition, but if you needed a sign that you’re not actually an incarnation of God’s will on Earth (or God Himself), this is pretty much it. Of course, we’re thinking the same thing you are — does this mean Jackson could be catching a manslaughter charge in addition to his hit-and-run and evasion charges?

(Ah, memories.)

On Tuesday, the Wrestling Observer reported that TUF 7‘s Jesse “JT Money” “Mongo” Taylor had been released by the UFC — for the second time — suggesting that it was his insensitive comments about Quinton Jackson following Rampage’s arrest that ultimately sunk him.

MMA Junkie caught up with Taylor recently to get his take on the situation, and it seems that just as he had no regrets for repeatedly pissing his shorts on national television, he has no regrets for running his mouth about the UFC’s troubled former light-heavyweight champ:

“I thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion. I just said, ‘What goes around comes around,’ kind of meaning about the double standards. Not meaning anything bad. I guess they kind of took it the wrong way, but I didn’t mean anything bad by it….I don’t regret [making the comments] at all. I don’t know if [the UFC is] looking for an excuse to get me out of there or what. The comments were nothing.”

Unfortunately, to the UFC, the comments were something. But even this turn of events can’t shake Mongo’s glassy-eyed optimism.

“Hopefully I didn’t leave on a bad note. [Ed. note: *shakes head*] I wouldn’t mind fighting for them again. Right now, first things first, is just to find another fight — hopefully in a major organization — and get back out there….Keep on the lookout. There should be something big in the next couple weeks about where I’m going.”

You heard it here, folks — keep an eye on TMZ to see which jail Taylor will be going to after his inevitable drunken public rampage and subsequent arrest. ‘Cause you know what? What goes around comes around, brah.

(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…

Earlier today, we scratched our heads over Dana White’s strange take on the Quinton Jackson situation, particularly the line:

“Last night when he got out, Rampage is very religious…yeah I’m dealing with it.”

WTF could that possibly mean, right? Well, according to CagePotato’s anonymous insider, it could mean something really freakin’ bad. Our source now tells us the following:

Rampage thinks he’s God…He had a falling out with his trainer a couple of days before the first arrest. Basically he has lost his mind and is talking very religious and is saying that he is God. This is the main thing I wanted to keep hidden, but with the second arrest and Dana talking it will come out regardless. He needs some serious help. I don’t know if you would call it schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or what have you, but whatever it is, basically it’s become impossible to have a conversation with him. He is delusional.

Again, this is second-hand information, and the only way to make a real judgment is to have an actual conversation with Jackson himself. But the chatter is not good.

Sort of related: As of now, Toyo Tires has no official comment on the status of Rampage’s sponsorship with the company, and doesn’t plan to make one any time soon.

So, here’s the mugshot from Quinton Jackson’s arrest on Tuesday, courtesy of TMZ (the Andy Dick booking photo is there just for comparison, I think). The Press-Telegram reports that Jackson’s court date is scheduled for August 15th at Harbor Justice Center in Laguna Niguel, and that he was cooperative with police from the time of his arrest to his release.

Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on why Jackson was shirtless in his mugshot — though one can’t help but see it and think “erratic behavior.” Speaking of which, a source semi-close to Jackson, who asked to remain anonymous, told CagePotato.com the following:

Close friends of Rampage had been very concerned about him the past few days [before the arrest]. He was very depressed and acting increasingly strange. There is something wrong with his mental well-being. They do not believe it is drugs or another substance. I have heard from others who said they’ve been concerned about his mental state for the past year. When he was in custody yesterday his blood pressure was sky high which is why they hospitalized him. Personally, I think he is out of touch with reality.

For now, treat that only as speculation, and pray to your Higher Powers that Rampage pulls out of this. More to come…

UPDATE (9:06 a.m. ET): Rampage may have sideswiped a pregnant woman during his little adventure:

[Holli] Griggs was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, [California Highway Patrol officer Jennifer] Hink said. In an e-mail sent to the Daily Pilot, Griggs said she and her unborn baby, 16 and a half weeks along, were injured but was not sure to what extent.

Griggs said Jackson was acting “violent and reckless” and “had no regard for my life or anyone else’s for that matter.”

(Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

From CageRage.tv:

I want to put on record my sincere apologies to Phil Baroni, the fans and Cage Rage for the incident that took place following my fight on Saturday. It should not have happened and the person responsible is very shamed faced.

At the time — thanks to his incredible right hook — I was unaware that Phil had been assaulted. In fact I was totally unaware of anything and everything. Baroni has my utmost respect for his prowess in the Cage — and particularly the way he handled the assault following the fight.

He could have escalated the situation but instead chose to act like a true and mature ambassador for the sport.

I apologised in person to Phil on the night, he duly accepted my gesture — shook hands — and bought him a drink. There is no ill feeling from Phil or his Team and I now wish to continue to strive to improve myself as a fighter and concentrate on my career. I wanted to make that apology public.

Scott Jansen.

Poor guy. I have a feeling this isn’t the first time he’s had to apologize for his knucklehead brother. But a mention of his wife’s rude bird-flipping behavior would have been nice. A word of advice, Scott: Stop bringing your family to your fights. You’re 3-3 now; getting some peace away from that chaotic group might help your career more than you know.

Speaking of bad behavior: TMZ has now obtained video of Rampage’s arrest, soundtracked by the mellow sounds of Canned Heat. And while we’re on the topic, InsideFighting says that Jackson’s hit-and-run charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in county jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. No word yet on any disciplinary action the UFC might be taking.

(He’s out now. Photo courtesy of TMZ.)

According to TMZ, Quinton Jackson was taken to the Orange County Jail after his arrest, but was determined “medically unfit” to be booked, and was temporarily taken to an O.C. hospital instead; no word yet on what Jackson’s exact condition was at the time of the arrest. Steve Cofeld points out that there was no record of a Quinton Ramone Jackson being booked yesterday on the Orange County Jail website.

Yahoo! Sports reports that the pursuit originally began when a Costa Mesa officer observed Jackson driving with a flat tire and talking on his cell phone (which recently became illegal while driving in California) and attempted to pull him over. Jackson ignored the officer and continued driving with the officer in pursuit, and hit at least three cars while “weaving in and out of traffic, including at one point driving on the wrong side of the road and even on a sidewalk, scaring pedestrians.”

Yahoo! also says that Dana White flew to Orange County upon learning of the arrest, with the intention of posting bail for Jackson. FiveOunces has confirmed that Jackson did indeed make bail and was released from police custody late yesterday. BloodyEblow passes along this video interview that Jackson did with MMA Throwdown the day before the arrest, where Rampage admits to being depressed after the fight, laments getting so fat during The Ultimate Fighter, reveals that an elbow injury interrupted his training, and starts sounding a little kooky around the 8-minute mark.

Hey, all publicity is good publicity, right?

(Props: “JayRoc” on the UG)

(Photos courtesy of TMZ.com)

Big trouble in the Thirty Mile Zone:

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson got busted just minutes ago, and is currently in custody on the way to the clink, but not before he was [ordered] on the ground, cops nearby with guns drawn.

Law enforcement sources tell us, Rampage was in a car crash near Newport Beach (that’s near Laguna Beach in the O.C.) and then split the scene. Cops gave chase and eventually caught up and charged him with felony hit and run and felony evading arrest.

Here’s the deal about the dumbest hit and run ever. Notice the truck he tried evading police in — the one with the giant picture of him plastered on the side!

We’re told there could be additional charges. No word yet on whether Rampage resisted arrest.

A couple more details from the Daily Pilot via Bloody Elbow:

Jackson, the driver of a lifted, gray pick-up truck left crashed cars, shredded tires and sparks in his wake this afternoon when he led police on a short pursuit from the southbound 55 freeway exit onto Newport Boulevard where he hit at least three cars, police said.

The driver hit two cars at 19th Street and Newport Boulevard, then drove away at about 1:13 p.m., Lt. Paul Dondero said. A Costa Mesa police officer saw the driver southbound approaching 17th Street and tried to pull him over, police said. There, he hit at least one more car before continuing to run, now heading south toward the Balboa Peninsula, Dondero said. Some time after that, the truck blew a tire but continued to drive on its rims, Dondero said.

Jackson eventually gave up, pulled over and was arrested, police said. The whole chase lasted about five minutes, Dondero said.

I know that first picture looks like a movie shoot, or at the very least an episode of Punk’d gone FUBAR, but the situation is unfortunately real. Please, Quinton — one little loss is no reason to begin a dramatic downward spiral. More details to come…

UPDATE (8:45 p.m. ET): “There were no indications of drug or alcohol use by Rampage Jackson at the time of his arrest.” Jackson is being held at the Costa Mesa City Jail in lieu of a $25,000.00 bail.