Juanito Ibarra

(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.