Conor McGregor has a fan in MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
“The Notorious” has come under scrutiny following his withdrawal from UFC 303, which was preceded by McGregor canceling a press conference appearance in Dublin, Ireland, that was to promote a June 29 headlining bout against Michael Chandler. It’s since been revealed that McGregor is sidelined with an injury, but that hasn’t stopped critics from piling on the former two-division champion, who hasn’t competed since breaking his leg at UFC 264 in July 2021.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Jackson was asked for his thoughts on the latest McGregor drama, and he was quick to defend the star.
“Conor McGregor’s a f*cking hundred-millionaire,” Jackson said. “What the f*ck are you doing? What the f*ck are you doing out there fighting? You’ve only got to do that shit for the love and one day if you ain’t feeling it, f*ck it. He don’t need that shit. I can’t blame him.”
McGregor remains one of the biggest draws in all of combat sports despite fighting just five times since 2016. The 35-year-old had a meteoric rise to the top of the UFC ladder after signing with the promotion in 2013, going on to capture titles at 145 and 155 pounds, while providing some of the most iconic moments in the cage and on the mic in MMA history.
Though McGregor has struggled to just one win in his past four UFC fights, during that stretch he booked a crossover bout with undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. that was enormously successful at the box office and cemented McGregor’s name in the mainstream consciousness.
Given the fighter’s extraordinary profile, Rampage — who competes at Josh Barnett’s professional wrestling/martial arts hybrid event Bloodsport Bushido this Saturday — doesn’t see why McGregor would ever take unnecessary risks.
“If I was that rich and I had any ounce of pain in my body, f*ck no, I would pull out of the fight too,” Jackson said. “No, if I’m being 100, if I was that rich and still fighting, I would be doing it purely for the love because I still love competing, that’s why I’m still doing this Bloodsport and everything. If I was injured, if I could injure myself even more, I wouldn’t do it, because what people don’t think about is I have injuries right now.
“I’m 46 in a couple of days. I have injuries from 20 years ago that still bother me. I’m going to be 60 years old remembering this injury, like damn, I wish I would have tapped earlier or I wish I would have pulled out of that fight. People don’t understand that. Why is he going to put himself through all this pain when financially he really don’t have to? When you fight in MMA, you do it for the love and you also do it for the finances. You do it for the check.”
Jackson, the consummate prizefighter, acknowledged that the attention and intoxicating thrill of combat are still factors he considers besides just looking at the number on a contract. Like McGregor, he’s no stranger to pursuing opportunities outside of MMA, having dabbled in pro wrestling as well as acting, the latter of which he most notably pursued when he took on the role of B. A. Baracus in the 2010 film The A-Team.
McGregor recently had a starring role in the 2024 action movie Road House, and Jackson hopes to see more of him whether it’s in the cage, the ring, or on the big screen.
“Conor McGregor is a young legend of the sport,” Jackson said. “Let that man do what he do, let him keep entertaining you all. Don’t get all caught up in him pulling out of fights and stuff like that. If he wants to come back, let him come back. Shit, I want to see him box. I want to see Conor McGregor go and do more movies. I think he’s done a lot for our sport, made the sport more of a household name, I don’t give a f*ck if he pulls out of fights. I’ll be here waiting when he comes back. I’m a big fan of Conor McGregor.”
