Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is backing Gina Carano over Ronda Rousey, and his reason goes well beyond the matchup.
Ahead of Rousey vs. Carano at MVP MMA 1, the former UFC light heavyweight champion criticized Rousey’s attitude, accused her of poor treatment toward staff, and dragged Travis Browne into the conversation with a strange dog-training story.
Here is the clip:
https://x.com/DornerClipz/status/2026393102043472104
Jackson made his pick clear from the start.
“I’m a Gina Carano fan, so I’m never going against her,” Jackson said on his Kick stream.
Then he shifted to Rousey.
“I’ve never been a fan of Ronda Rousey,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s issue was not Rousey’s résumé. He focused on what he described as her attitude away from the cage.
“Too arrogant,” Jackson said. “There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself but there’s a fine line. I hate to say this live, but she’s never been nice to staff and stuff like that, you know, behind the scenes people.”
“It’s a fine line in believing yourself and being like overly cocky. In fighting, you have to be confident and believe in yourself.”
Rampage Jackson Picks Carano And Rips Travis Browne
Jackson also brought up Rousey’s husband, former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, while explaining why he does not root for Rousey.
“I’ve never been a fan of Ronda. Nothing against her. I don’t like her husband at all,” Jackson said. “He trained my dog, and my dog came back stupid. More stupid. Dumber. And he had my dog for like six months.”
The Browne part is pure Rampage chaos. The Rousey criticism is more direct. Jackson alleged that Rousey was not kind to behind-the-scenes staff, though he did not name specific people or incidents, so the claim should be treated as his allegation.
The timing matters because Rousey is returning to MMA for the first time since her 2016 loss to Amanda Nunes. She left the sport with a 12-2 record, including nine submission wins and three knockouts. Before MMA, she won bronze in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then became the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion.
Carano has been away even longer. She last fought in 2009, when she lost to Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce. Carano’s MMA record stands at 7-1, and her early popularity helped push women’s MMA into the mainstream before the UFC built a women’s division. After fighting, she moved into acting with roles in Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, Deadpool, and The Mandalorian.
That history is why this fight has pulled so much attention. Rousey became the UFC-era superstar. Carano was one of the names who made fans care before that door opened. Jackson is firmly on Carano’s side.
MiddleEasy has already covered Carano’s 100-pound weight loss before the Rousey fight and her comments after settling with Disney. Jackson’s comments add another sharp storyline to a fight week already built on history, long layoffs, and old grudges.
Stylistically, Rousey’s clearest path is still the clinch, takedown, and armbar chain that carried her prime run. Carano’s route is keeping space, forcing exchanges, and making Rousey deal with damage after nearly a decade away from MMA.
Jackson did not offer a technical breakdown. He picked Carano, ripped Rousey’s attitude, and took a shot at Browne. For a fight built on nostalgia and personalities, that was enough to push one more rivalry into the spotlight.
For more on the event-week drama, read MiddleEasy’s coverage of Dakota Ditcheva dropping her Rousey fandom over the Khamzat Chimaev insult and Rousey firing back at Chimaev before MVP MMA 1.
