The UFC has to get a handle on its scoring system and allowing its fighters to use testosterone therapy. Rampage makes it sound like testosterone did everything for him that steroids would have, but it's not the same as using steroids, he argues.
His performance was still disappointing!
Abbreviated interview with Fighters Only below:


Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson missed weight for his fight with Ryan Bader by an enormous five pounds, something unheard of for the former UFC and Pride champion. Already beset by allegations that he was not taking the fight seriously, the weight-miss was taken as proof positive that he did not care about the bout or respect Bader as an opponent.

In the week prior to the fight, Jackson had caused a storm by slamming UFC commentator Joe Rogan. He accused Rogan of biased commentary and said that he always had negative comments to make about Jackson’s techniques and overall game. All in all, the days preceding the fight were not vintage for Jackson.

Then the fight itself went 15 minutes and apart from one or two sparks - including a trademark slam - it was something of an anti-climax and Jackson was again criticised - by fans - for displaying a limited repertoire. Stung by this criticism, and unhappy about a few other things, Jackson picked up the phone and told Fighters Only a few home truths which he would like to share with the world.

"I almost pulled out (due to his knee injury) but then I went to see the doctor and he told me to talk to an age-management doctor. So I went and talked to them and they tested me and said my testosterone was low; they prescribed me testosterone, to bring my testosterone levels back up to levels where I can be like… so that I am the same as young people, like when I was 25, and it would help build my knee up. I hurt my knee like a month ago and I only did three shots of testosterone but it put a lot of weight on me, a lot of muscle on me but it healed me knee up good enough to where I could fight.

It was hard for me to train, it takes time to heal, I couldn’t do certain things, but this was my first time ever using testosterone. I took what the doctor prescribed to me and I went to the pharmacy… I gave myself small doses and that **** immediately changed me, that’s why I am saying now I am not going to retire. I am not gonna retire no time soon, its just unfortunate that I got this injury.

I started hitting it up pretty good, I still gotta take care of my knee but I feel like a 25 year old again. My sex life changed, I was back to five times a night like when I was 25, straight up. I got stronger, lifting weights. I was never good at lifting weights but I was doing everything, pull ups and stuff, everything with my top half. I gained a lot of weight but I gained a lot of water as well, I never knew about testosterone putting weight on you like that. I had to cut weight [for the fight] and I cut 22 pounds out of the 30 I needed to cut, I just couldn’t make the rest. I couldn’t make the rest.


FO: Is there any feeling on your part that TRT is basically drugging by another name, any doubts about using it?

Well to be honest with you I first learned about testosterone… I don’t know about health and drugs and stuff because I don’t really deal with it. I was never really big into it. So I was like ‘testosterone? No I’m not going to do that, that’s like steroids’ but then the doctor is like ‘no, steroids is stuff mixed with testosterone or other stuff, you can get steroids that do all types of things. Steroids for your cardio, for your muscles. Testosterone is all natural, its what your body produces.’

He was saying its like age management, it will turn back the clock and help heal you up. So I talked to my team and I really wanted to fight in Japan - coz you know I did all this stuff to fight in Japan and not in Chicago - and so I couldn’t give up and miss Japan. Everyone knows I love Japanese fans, they helped me become the fighter that I am, they gave me the energy and stuff. It was a hard decision but I was like ‘you know what, I am gonna do it. It will make me young and help me fight longer, which I want to.’

So I spoke to the UFC and they were like ‘yeah, a lot of fighters are probably doing it but not telling anyone.’ Me, I keep it real, I am not doing anything wrong. Its legal and I am not abusing it and I am not going over certain levels. From what I learned about it, when I got tested my levels my levels were really low and the doctor was telling me that athletes can burn testosterone.

Sure enough I did it like a week or two and, I couldn’t train but… that’s why I did this song about doggy style! My doggy style was buck wild man I’m telling you. I was like a young man, back to lifting weights and stuff, running treadmill and I could run and run. I could hit pads but I couldn’t spar or wrestle until I got to Japan, like eight days before the fight. In Japan I saw the change and so I decided I am not retiring no time soon, whether I fight for the UFC or not, I am gonna heal my knee up and get back on top. I feel young again. I’m happy I did the testosterone, I wish I had known about it sooner.

I guarantee nine out of ten people would have pulled out with the injuries that I had. People were thinking that I wasn’t taking this fight seriously, that’s why I was getting so mad. That’s why I got so mad at Rich Franklin’s punk ass because people got stuff coming out their mouth… they got some stuff coming out their cocksucker that they don’t even know what they talking about.

Why would I not take anybody seriously when I am going to fight in front of my favourite fans? I’m going to train harder so I can put on a show in front of my favourite people. In my whole fighting career I never missed weight once. In King of the Cage I missed by a half a pound because this stupid ass dude told me don’t worry about it. I could have made the weight easy so that doesn’t even count.

But I never miss weight; when I fought Forrest I didn’t take that fight seriously, I will be honest with you, I overlooked Forrest bigtime. I was fat as hell for the camp but I made weight, so I think people need to really check what they say. I’m the wrong fella to talk like that to, I don’t play that ****. Anyone says I don’t take fights seriously, sign the contract and we will get in the cage and see who takes the fight seriously.


FO: The first you heard of what Franklin said was when Ariel Helwani put it to you right after you missed weight. Given the sometimes rocky relationship between you and he, did you take that as a deliberate provocation or something?

Ariel Helwani.. At first I didn’t like him but we hung out in Japan and he interviewed me a few times and we played some video games and ****. So then with that Rick Franklin thing I think he was just being a journalist but then some Japanese fans show me on YouTube the interview he did with Ryan Bader and I was like man, he was cool with me but then the kind of questions he is asking Ryan Bader is making me look stupid.

I don’t know if he did the interview before or after [the fight] but I told Ariel Helwani before the weigh ins that I wasn’t going to make weight. I didn’t know if I was going to make weight so I was going to keep it quiet. If I had won the fight I probably would have said after the fight but [until then] I played it off. I didn’t want Bader to know about the knee.

So I’ve got a bone to pick with Ariel Helwani next time I see him...

Interviewed by Gary Alexander
Additional reporting by John Joe O’Regan

http://www.fightersonlymag.com/conte...or-bader-fight

Vind het persoonlijk goed dat Rampage er zo over praat.

Wat vinden jullie, mag een vechter TRT gebruiken mits de testeron waarden binnen bepaalde grenzen blijft?