UFC
Rampage Jackson's manager on Viacom/Bellator deal: "The bottom line is we were sold a dream that never manifested"
Dec 26, 2014 - 10:25:58 PM Rampage Jackson's manager on Viacom/Bellator deal: "The bottom line is we were sold a dream that never manifested"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The more that comes out about the deal Rampage Jackson had with Bellator and Viacom, the more it seems he will indeed be in the Octagon much sooner than later.

In an interview with Sherdog.com this week, Rampage and his manager gave more detail on just what Bellator and Viacom failed to follow through on, leading to him claiming a breach of contract and severing his relationship with the organizations.

"I signed a deal with Viacom, not really Bellator," Jackson said. "Looking at it now, it seems like Viacom just tried to say things that would get me to sign with them so I could fight for Bellator. They never came through on any of the things they said they were going to do for me."

"Basically this deal has five sections to it including TV, movies, pro wrestling, MMA fighting and there was a provision for MTV. It was a very interesting new deal that I've never done before," added Lee Gwynn, one of Jackson's managers. "In retrospect, Bjorn Rebney had to fill the UFC's shoes on Spike TV. He had a big job ahead of him, and I think he put more faith in the system than what he believed. The bottom line is we were sold a dream that never manifested."

Gwynn said there were numerous false promises made, and several attempts at remedying the situation after Rebney was ousted. Further, he says three sets of attorneys have looked at the deal and have advised that Jackson severing the deal is valid based on the breaches they've cited.

Penick's Analysis: Jackson's signing with Viacom in the first place was less about fighting for him than anything. He made plenty of claims to that end in his initial press conference with Bellator, and seemed more into the idea of using Viacom's resources to do other things outside of the fight world. Again, that didn't happen, and it truly seems like Viacom failed to hold up the promises made in getting Rampage to sign in the first place. If that is the case, and they've failed to uphold their end of whatever deal was made, with Rampage's camp providing ample time to address the issue, Rampage was free to sign with the UFC.