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What happens when an up-and-comer is blatantly disrespectful towards a certified legend of the sport, especially on a platform provided to said disrespectful up-and-comer by said certified legend? Yeah, the conversation between middleweight/welterweight star Kevin Holland and bonafide UFC and PRIDE legend ‘Rampage’ Jackson was difficult to sit through. All this over a joke ‘Rampage’ made, when the veteran is known for his comedic (albeit crude) takes.

The story is simple, the former UFC light heavyweight champion made fun of Holland’s power move on Michael Page at the UFC 299 ceremonial weigh-ins. Basically, ‘Trailblazer’ reached up and clamped Page’s infamous raised hand gesture resembling a snake. Kevin Holland didn’t like Jackson’s comments, and this was so evident in the podcast.

But if you think that Kevin Holland was being standoff-ish in the interview, that wasn’t where it started. ‘Rampage’ Jackson got a quick teaser of the discomfort he was going to put himself through in the podcast, through Holland’s body language, which seemed cold. The JAXXON podcast released a little behind-the-scenes clip showing what went down when both men greeted each other before shooting the podcast.

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“How you doin’ buddy?” a chirpy Jackson asks Holland, and goes in for a hug, only to get shut down by ‘Trailblazer’, who was content with a handshake. “Oh, you gonna do me like that? Okay. You’re still mad at me bro, okay, all right. It’s all good. I respect it.” Even JAXXON co-host sensed what he was walking into, going into that episode, saying, “It’s going to be a long podcast, huh?”

Many fans didn’t like the way Kevin Holland spoke to ‘Rampage’ Jackson – not budging an inch, or trying to understand Jackson’s point of view. Holland tried to project himself as more of a man than Jackson by questioning his knowledge of firearms. The whole thing was quite bizarre to witness, at least for the first quarter of the interview, before things started settling down. ‘Rampage’ surmised that while Holland can dish out a lot of thrash talk, he visibly can’t take as much as he gives.

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But to be fair to ‘Big Mouth’ (now ‘Hot Head’) Holland, ‘Rampage’ has a history of getting under peoples’ skins. Remember season 10 of TUF, when Jackson borderline harassed Darrill Schoonover throughout the show? And let’s not forget his infamous beef with Rashad Evans who coached that season opposite him. Theirs was a legendary rivalry, but ended in Evans beating Jackson over three rounds at UFC 114. Now ‘Rampage’ has the chance to right that wrong. Let’s find out.

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Did Kevin Holland cross the line with 'Rampage' Jackson, or was it just harmless banter?

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‘Rampage’ Jackson set to run back epic rivalry with Rashad Evans

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson is all but retired. While the former multiple-promotion champ hasn’t fought since being stopped by Fedor Emelianenko in 2019, he has said that he wants to fight again. And that is precisely what he is getting ready to do, but this time in the ring.

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‘Rampage’ is set to face former UFC champion and rival, Rashad Evans in a boxing match sometime this year in Albequerque, New Mexico. The duo, of course, have a an infamous rivalry, which Evans won. The build-up to that fight was quite fun as the bad blood between the two men led to some pretty entertaining back-and-forths. With the upcoming buildup, we can hopefully get a re-run of the ‘Rampage’-Rashad saga which was quite entertaining.

But with both men’s MMA days seemingly behind them, it seems they are determined to give fans what they want, this time in the squared circle. What do you think of that matchup? Who will win? Let us know in the comments.

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Did Kevin Holland cross the line with 'Rampage' Jackson, or was it just harmless banter?

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