Yahoo Sports Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz Together Again, as Reported Target of Former Trainer's Lawsuit
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz’s pay-per-view main event may have fallen apart last November, but they’re still in a fight, only this time, they’re on the same side of the cage.
Juanito Ibarra, the former trainer to both men, has filed lawsuits against the two former UFC champions stemming from comments each made about him in interviews that he found damaging to his reputation.
There are two suits, according to a report by OCWeekly.com. One suit is filed naming both Jackson and Ortiz as defendants, while the other goes after Jackson alone.
Ibarra reportedly pointed to interviews where Jackson called him a “thief” and a “liar,” and further stated that Ibarra made $30,000 in “camp money disappear.” He also pointed to an Ortiz interview that called Ibarra a “liar” and claimed he took financial advantage of Rampage.
Jackson reportedly filed a cross-complaint claiming that when he and Ibarra parted ways, they agreed not to sue each other, and his lawyers indicated that Ibarra took certain comments out of context.
Ortiz, meanwhile, gave a sworn declaration that his comments were just an example of the trash talking that is common in mixed martial arts and were not meant as defamatory.
Judge Barbara Scheper set a trail date of July 14 for the first suit.
