Former UFC wrestler Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's fight on Sunday with independent wrestler Stuart Smith (ring name: Syko Stu) took a turn for the worse after his son Raja Jackson suddenly entered the ring and appeared to assault Smith in the name of a planned "payback".
In a viral video from the Knokx Pro Wrestling event in Los Angeles, California, the 25-year-old Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter can be seen suddenly entering the ring, right as his father rolls away after getting hit with a small body slam.
Raja, a light heavyweight fighter, lifts Steve—who looks significantly heavier than him—high in the air before slamming him down. He then quickly got on top of Smith—who was unresponsive by then—and rained about twenty blows on his face before he was restrained.
Amid criticism for the move, Quinton defended his son by saying that it was part of a planned "payback" that he thought was part of the show.
Smith was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, as a disturbed Raja stepped outside to make a phone call.
The caller—heard in another video—explains that the planned payback was only meant to be a double-leg takedown and a few fake punches. Raja, however, justified that he got extremely angry at the time.
"It was bad judgement, and a work that went wrong ... I’m very upset that any of this happened, but my main concern now is that Mr. Smith will make a speedy recovery. I apologize on his behalf and to KICK for the situation," he explained in a statement on X.
However, he also refused to condone Raja's actions, saying that the MMA fighter—who had suffered a concussion from sparring a few days ago—had been unexpectedly hit on the side of his head during the scuffle with Smith, who is an army veteran.
No official reports have clarified Smith's condition, although Quinton claimed that his opponent was "awake and stable".