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By Zach Arnold

This week should have been time to celebrate two really good MMA shows (presented by both UFC & Affliction). Instead, a lot of MMA fans are confused and saddened by what is happening with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

After he was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly being involved in a hit-and-run accident, a friend of Jackson’s flagged a policeman in Irvine, California on Thursday and asked the officer to get help for Jackson. Jackson is currently undergoing a mental evaluation.

Those are scary and ominous words.

This is not a situation to take lightly, but rest assured that there are plenty of media outlets like MTV, TMZ, and your national Hollywood tabloid that are starting to pounce on this story. The Rampage story this week has all of the elements of a Britney Spears psycho-drama. Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that cable channels didn’t do screaming ‘breaking news’ chyrons with live footage of Jackson being chased by the cops on the highway.

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Right now, there’s simply too much speculation and innuendo about the situation.

What we do know is that Jackson is a father, and right now his son needs his dad in a good state of mind.

What we do know is that Jackson, as a fighter, has taken some hellacious beatings in both the PRIDE ring and UFC’s Octagon. Given what happened last year with Chris Benoit and the head trauma he suffered throughout his career, there is rampant speculation online from concerned fans that perhaps Jackson is suffering after-effects from post-concussion syndrome.

What we don’t know is whether or not Jackson has any mental disorders and if he does, whether or not they were ever diagnosed before. It’s easy to laugh at someone having mental problems, but it’s not a laughing matter if you have a family member or a friend who has to deal with a constant, daily struggle just to wake up in the morning and function normally throughout the day.

There is a serious human element to this story that seems to be stripped away by the tabloidish coverage in the media. After all, how do you expect the mainstream media to cover the story given that Rampage’s traffic accident involved him riding around in a monster truck with his image plastered on the side of the vehicle? It’s surreal. It’s bizarre. It’s why so many people are interested in the story from afar.

MMA is a violent sport. There are certainly many fighters who have taken some beatings and need to either retire or be medically supervised before ever fighting again. To deny that MMA is violent is to not be honest with ourselves and honest with critics of the sport.

The unfortunate part about the Rampage Jackson story is that he may in fact emotionally suffering due to the losses and beatings he has endured throughout his fight career. No one wants to see him go to jail or, even worse, commit suicide or die. Forget trying to protect the image of MMA and show some concern instead for a troubled human being who has entertained so many people for a long time. He’s put his body on the line for our entertainment, so the very least all of us can do is keep an open mind on the latest developments and say a prayer for Jackson. He obviously needs a lot of support from a lot of people right now.

It is incidents like these that remind us about both the good and bad aspects of combat sports. I happened to watch Oscar Diaz fight Delvin Rodriguez on ESPN2’s boxing telecast of Wednesday Night Fights. The boxing match took place in San Antonio and was promoted by Star Boxing. As the 11th round was ready to take place, Diaz slumped and collapsed in his corner. The referee tried to hold up Diaz, but he fell to the mat and was immediately taken out on a stretcher. After being taken to Santa Rosa hospital in San Antonio, Diaz underwent brain surgery and is in a coma.

Yes, it is another gruesome and unfortunate injury in boxing. However, MMA fans should not be jumping for joy and celebrating that another tragic incident that has taken place in boxing and not MMA. This is not the time or the place to get into another ‘boxing vs. MMA’ debate in regards to fighter safety issues. What we should be focusing on instead is continuing to improve fighter safety as much as we possibly can in *both* sports. The focus should be on both issues relating to physical and mental trauma. Right now, there are various state athletic commissions who are trying the best they can to keep fighters safe, but many of these commissions are understaffed and/or overworked.

We owe those who put their lives on the line to entertain us more than empty platitudes and false medical assurances. Just because the fight business is a profession that many men & women have chosen on their own doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be more people watching out for their safety and security. This week’s events are grim reminders of the industry’s dark side.