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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Ex-UFC champion Rampage Jackson ‘very upset’ after son appears to | |
beat motionless wrestler in bout gone ‘wrong’ | |
By Jamie Barton, Issy Ronald, CNN | |
Updated: | |
9:55 PM EDT, Sun August 24, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
Former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has apologized and said | |
that he is “very upset” after his son allegedly committed what | |
organizers called “a selfish, irresponsible act of violence” | |
against a during an event Saturday night in Sun Valley, California. | |
Footage from the event posted on social media showed Jackson’s son, | |
Raja Jackson – a professional fighter – sliding into the ring | |
during another bout and throwing Syko Stu, whose real name is Stuart | |
Smith, to the mat. | |
The video, which bears a watermark suggesting it was livestreamed on | |
the video platform Kick, showed Jackson straddling Smith before | |
repeatedly punching him in the face and the side of his head, even when | |
Smith was lying motionless. Other wrestlers then restrained Jackson. | |
CNN has not been able to independently verify the video, but Kick | |
confirmed to CNN that Raja Jackson’s account has been banned from the | |
platform. | |
“I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL!” Rampage Jackson | |
wrote in a on Sunday morning, in which he claimed that Smith was awake | |
and stable. | |
“He (Raja Jackson) suffered a concussion from sparring only days ago | |
and had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact. | |
“As a father, I’m deeply concerned with his health AND the | |
well-being of Mr. Smith. | |
“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. I | |
apologize on his (Raja Jackson’s) behalf and to KICK for the | |
situation.” | |
A by organizer KnokX suggested that the incident started off as a | |
scripted part of the show, known as a “work” in wrestling, but was | |
not intended to go as far as it did. | |
“First and foremost our thoughts and prayers are with our brother Mr. | |
Stuart Smith (Syko Stu) as he remains a priority and we are monitoring | |
his well-being,” the organizer wrote. “What was supposed to be a | |
planned and agreed upon wrestling spot, turned into a selfish, | |
irresponsible act of violence against Mr. Smith. | |
“This egregious act is reprehensible and never should have occurred. | |
In the 17 years of operation of KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, there has | |
never been anything as heinous take place such as this and we apologize | |
to our patrons and fans.” | |
CNN has reached out to KnokX about the condition of Smith but has not | |
received a reply. | |
Another video posted to X – also unverified by CNN – appeared to | |
show Smith earlier hitting Raja Jackson on the side of the head with a | |
can outside the venue, after which the pair had to be separated. | |
“Raja was unexpectedly hit in the side of the head by him moments | |
before Smith’s match, Raja was told that he could get his | |
‘payback’ in the ring, I thought it was a part of the show,” | |
Rampage Jackson wrote in his statement on X. | |
“It was bad judgement, and a work that went wrong. Raja is a(n) MMA | |
fighter not a pro wrestler and had no business involved in an event | |
like this.” | |
This story has been updated with additional reporting. | |
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