Raja Jackson has sparked widespread concern after he appeared to aggressively attack a wrestler during a livestream.
Jackson, son of the former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, drew attention after an incident with a wrestler at the Knokx Pro Wrestling event in Los Angeles, California.
While wrestling often involves a performance element, it seems this particular occurrence was beyond the usual theatrics.
Video of the event has circulated on social media, leading fans to speculate on the potential consequences.
Sean Ross Sapp, a reporter for Fightful, provided some context on Twitter: “Based on what I’ve heard, the spot with Raja Jackson at Knokx Pro Wrestling was planned.
“However, Raja Jackson knocked the person out — ring name Syko Stu– and followed up with a lot of heavy punches to Syko Stu [real name Stuart Smith], which were not planned to do that kind of damage.”
The punches appeared to be authentic, and the entire incident was broadcast on the streaming platform Kick, as the MMA fighter was live at the time.
The footage captured Jackson taking down the wrestler and repeatedly striking him in the face until other wrestlers intervened.
Following the event, the Kick stream tracking Raja included a phone call he received.
The caller, later identified as ‘Andre’, mentioned having seen the video and asked Jackson for an explanation.
Andre expressed concern, stating they were unable to wake the wrestler after the alleged assault and criticized Raja for his actions.
Jackson responded with ‘my bad’ while visibly agitated as he walked around what appeared to be a parking lot.
The incident seems to have originated from a pre-event interaction between Jackson and Smith. A clip depicts Jackson becoming visibly upset after Smith struck him in the head, prompting others to separate them.
Quinton Jackson, Raja’s father, took to social media to provide an update. He confirmed Sapp’s remarks, describing the incident as ‘a work that went wrong’, and noted that Smith is ‘awake and stable’ after receiving hospital care.
In a detailed statement, Quinton explained: “I want to clear up the misinformation about my son Raja. I’ve been confirmed that the wrestler (Stewart Smith aka Syko Stu) is awake and stable.
“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 apart of the show.
“It was bad judgement, and a work that went wrong. Raja is a MMA fighter not a pro wrestler and had no business involved in an event like this.
“I don’t condone my son’s actions AT ALL! He suffered a concussion from sparring only days ago and had no business doing anything remotely close to physical contact. As a father, im deeply concerned with his health AND the well being of Mr. Smith.”
The LADbible Group has reached out to Raja Jackson, Knokx Pro Wrestling, and Kick for comments.