LOS ANGELES — The son of former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson appeared to brutally attack a pro wrestler during an indie show in Los Angeles Saturday night, video of the altercation showed, in what the elder Jackson called a case of “bad judgement, and a work that went wrong.”
Video of the incident shows Raja Jackson enter the ring at a Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy event during an ongoing match and slam wrestler Stuart Smith, whose ring name is Syko Stu, to the mat. Jackson then mounted Smith and punched him almost two dozen times in the face before other wrestlers pulled him off.
Smith, who seemed to lose consciousness and was not able to attempt to protect himself from the punches, lay motionless in the ring, blood streaming from his face. His condition was not immediately clear Sunday.
In a post on X following the incident, the elder Jackson said he’d been informed Smith was “awake and stable.”
Officer Norma Eisenman, a Los Angeles police spokesperson, confirmed that officers responded to the 8500 block of Lankershim Boulevard and took a report. Knokx Pro Wrestling lists its address as 8548 Lankershim Blvd. Eisenman said no arrests were made but that detectives would look at the report on Monday and decide how to move forward with the investigation.
Raja Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for comment and more details sent through social media Sunday night. Smith also did not respond to a similar request.
Quinton Jackson said in the X post that the incident was “bad judgement, and a work that went wrong,” using the wrestling term “work,” which refers to something that was scripted.
“Raja is a MMA fighter not a pro wrestler and had no business [being] involved in an event like this,” he said. “I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL!”
In a statement posted to Facebook, Knokx Pro Wrestling sent thoughts and prayers to Smith and apologized to fans. The promotion seemed to confirm the incident was not pre-planned.
“What was supposed to be a planned and agreed upon wrestling spot, turned into a selfish, irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith,” it said. “This egregious act is reprehensible and never should have occurred.”
Knokx did not answer calls seeking comment Sunday night.
The attack was streamed on Kick. In a statement, a spokesperson for the livestreaming platform said Raja Jackson’s account was suspended.
“KICK’s community guidelines make it clear that excessive violence is not permitted,” the statement said. “Content in breach of our guidelines is removed and users will be suspended or banned.”
Video preceding the attack showed Smith crushing a can on Raja Jackson’s head, seemingly not knowing Jackson wasn’t a wrestler. Jackson got angry, but another video showed the pair apparently making up.
A third video after that showed another wrestler telling Jackson to give someone a “receipt.” It wasn’t clear by the video whether the wrestler was specifically referencing Smith, but a receipt in pro wrestling parlance means a legitimate strike or attack, usually as a form of retribution for a wayward spot during a match.
Quinton Jackson referenced that altercation in his post on X, saying his son, whom he said had suffered a concussion during sparring just days earlier, was told he could get his “payback” in the ring.
“As a father, im deeply concerned with his health AND the well being of Mr. Smith,” Quinton Jackson wrote. “That being said I’m very upset that any of this happened, but my main concern now is that Mr. Smith will make a speedy recovery.”
The elder Jackson is a decorated mixed martial artist who has held championship gold in the UFC and has dabbled in pro wrestling in the past. Raja Jackson, 25, has a professional MMA record of one win and one loss.
