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Rampage Jackson Reflects on His Iconic Slam KO
Rampage Jackson opened up about his legendary slam knockout over Ricardo Arona, one of his most memorable wins. He revealed more details about the fight and his mindset during that moment.
Jackson fought Arona at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 inside Japan’s famous Saitama Super Arena. The bout ended when he lifted Arona—while caught in a triangle choke—and slammed him violently on the canvas.
The slam knocked Arona out cold, giving Jackson a highlight-reel victory that is still talked about today. He shared on his JAXXON PODCAST that he was angry ahead of the fight.
Jackson remembered the referees treated him unfairly, handing out yellow cards that reduced his fighter pay by 10%. He admitted that he had never been angrier in a fight than he was that night.
“[Arona] [expletive] me off. That’s my only time losing my temper in a fight…The main thing he did was he was heel kicking me and he dislocated my jaw…He told the referee I was knocked out. And those referees in Japan, they hated me,” Jackson told Joshua Van and T.J. Dillashaw.
He then explained how yellow cards affected him:
“They used to give yellow cards and for the yellow cards, they take 10% of your money and they used to take 10% of my money every time they gave me one.”
Jackson’s slam knockout remains one of MMA’s most iconic finishes and a fixture in highlight packs showcasing other top knockouts.
Rampage Jackson Once Recalled Ricardo Arona Claiming to be Injured
Jackson clearly had problems with Arona even before their fight. He once recalled how the Brazilian claimed to be injured, which raised questions about their fight going through as planned.
During a recent JAXXON PODCAST episode, Jackson reflected spoke with his coach, Juliano Prado, about the fight. He explained how he was informed that Murilo Rua might be replacing Arona.
The news upset Jackson, especially when he saw Arona looking completely healthy nearby their hotel.
“What made me mad was I found out that [Arona] was injured. You know, later on that day, I walked to the 7-Eleven, which is right down the street from the hotel. [Arona’s] walking out the store strolling and then, he sees me, he started limping.”
The former UFC champion added that he was upset that Arona had band-aids on his knee, which appeared exaggerated.
“Four band-aids then an X on his knee. I felt like he was just trying to get Murilo [Rua] into PRIDE. I understand the brotherhood, and it was probably hard to get his teammate into PRIDE, so I just felt like that’s what he was doing.”
Rampage Jackson Discusses Short-Notice Fights in PRIDE
Jackson also spoke about how PRIDE typically handled short-notice replacement fights. He claimed PRIDE usually gave fighters easier matchups if their opponent pulled out.
Jackson believed that wouldn’t be the case with Arona, since Rua was equally, if not more, dangerous.
“Truth be told, I was made at this whole situation because in PRIDE the rules were when you got a last minute opponent or your opponent pulled out, you get a lesser [skilled] opponent. [Rua was] better at jiu-jitsu”
Giancarlo Aulino Giancarlo Aulino is sports writer who covers UFC for Heavy.com. He began writing for Heavy in 2025 after providing MMA coverage for Sportskeeda. Giancarlo is an experienced journalist and interviewer, having covered soccer clubs Toronto FC and York United FC as a full-season reporter, and also producing sports coverage for Toronto radio station VIBE 105.5FM.
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