Former UFC Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson publicly addressed the recent in-ring assault involving his son, Raja Jackson, for a second time. In a livestream on Tuesday, Jackson clarified his position, stating that while he has to “have my son’s back,” he does not condone his son’s actions.
The statement follows the incident on August 23 at a KnokX Pro Wrestling show, where Raja Jackson legitimately attacked and injured independent wrestler Syko Stu.
“I feel bad about what happened to Syko Stu,” Rampage said during the stream. “I don’t condone what my son did, very unfortunate… I’m a father, I gotta have my son’s back. I’m going to let justice play out, take this to court.”
Jackson also directed a message to the injured wrestler and his family, expressing his regret over the situation. “This s— has put me in a bad mood. I feel bad about Syko Stu and his family, his family had to see that s—,” he stated. “Hopefully one day I can meet Syko Stu and shake his hand and have a man-to-man with him… And I hope Syko Stu can forgive me, myself, as a dad, for not understanding everything.”
His comments come as the Los Angeles Police Department is actively investigating the assault. Syko Stu, whose real name is Stuart Smith, remains hospitalized, and a GoFundMe has been established to assist with his medical bills.
The attack occurred after a backstage interaction intended to be a “work.” Smith, in character, hit Raja Jackson with a can, not realizing he wasn’t a professional wrestler. After Smith apologized, the two reportedly agreed that Jackson would get involved in Smith’s match later. However, another wrestler, Andre Joel Hudson, was reportedly heard telling Jackson to get “his receipt” in the ring.
During the subsequent match, Raja Jackson entered the ring, slammed the U.S. military veteran to the mat, and delivered between 15 and 23 punches to his head after he was already unconscious. Smith was left convulsing and bleeding before other wrestlers intervened to stop the assault. He was hospitalized with facial fractures and lost several teeth.
In his first public statement following the incident, Rampage Jackson claimed it was a “work that went wrong” and noted that his son had suffered a concussion days prior and “had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact.”
KnokX Pro Wrestling condemned the assault, calling it a “selfish, irresponsible act of violence.” However, the promotion has since been accused by other wrestlers, including Ian Morgan and Douglas Malo, of attempting to obstruct the police investigation by telling attendees not to cooperate with law enforcement.
Following the incident, Raja Jackson’s account on the streaming platform Kick was suspended for violating community guidelines.