You asked and we found the answers. “Ask the TUF Crowd” gives you the chance to throw your burning questions to the cast following each episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 10.”
This week’s most-asked question went to coach Quinton Jackson’s entire team. Abe Wagner and Scott Junk, who fought first and seventh under Jackson’s coaching, chimed in.
“Rampage” clearly doesn't care about whether his guys win or lose. He cares about beating Rashad (Evans) and being on TV. My question is, how do the guys on Rampage’s team feel when he says things like “I don't quit, my guys quit,” and when he says in interviews that he doesn't care about TUF or anyone having anything to do with it. After the whole experience is over, do some of his guys wish they had ended up on Rashad's team? -- Jason
Abe Wagner: I probably don’t think it’s fair for him to say that he didn’t quit, (that) his fighters quit. Having watched all the fights in person, I can tell you that nobody quit. Nobody wants to lose a fight. Everybody wants to win their fights. I thought it was kind of a self-centered thing on his part when he did say that.
As far as if I wish I was on Rashad’s team instead of Rampage’s team, the guys on Rampage’s team, a lot of them are really good friends of mine even still. I definitely made some good relationships there. As far as a coaching standpoint, and which coach would probably give you the better opportunity to win, I think the outcome of the show is pretty obvious as far as that answer. Statistically speaking, going 0-7, there’s no way that all seven of those fighters were bad. You know what I mean?
Scott Junk: First off, I still keep in touch with Rampage. We still talk once in a while and he was solid. We taught me some things like the “cover and roll” and how to protect my face, but it’s hard to learn so many things in that short period of time. I could teach you everything I know in two weeks, but how much are you going to retain?
As far as coaching-wise, Rampage told us from the very beginning that he’s not a coach, that he’s not a good coach, he (was) trying to show us what he knows, but he’s not a good coach and it shows. Rashad’s staff, I thought, was better than our staff, but our coaches were there. And Rampage says things without thinking sometimes, but he cares about every one of us. He took care of me and I have no complaints, I have no regrets.
Of course, when I got there I wanted to be on Greg Jackson’s team (Jackson guest-coached on Evans’ team at the start) because it’s Greg Jackson. He’s one of the best coaches in the league right now. When I got picked up by Rampage, I was like, ‘Alright, so I’ll learn from Rampage.’ And I did. I learned a couple of things and now I’m using them more as I train, so the fact that he said, “My guys give up on me,” everybody that watched my fight knows that I don’t give up, so he wasn’t talking about me. That question goes to a couple of the other guys, I think.