Raja Jackson Pleads No Contest to Felony Battery in Ring Assault

Raja Jackson, the 26-year-old son of former UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, pleaded no contest Wednesday to a felony count of battery causing serious bodily injury stemming from a violent ring assault on professional wrestler Stewart "Syko Stu" Smith during a Knokx Pro Wrestling event in Sun Valley, California, on August 24, 2025.

The attack, livestreamed on Jackson's Kick channel, began after an earlier backstage encounter where Smith, a U.S. Army veteran, threw a beer can at Jackson under the mistaken impression it was part of a scripted wrestling angle. The two shook hands afterward, but tension escalated when Jackson left his ringside seat, entered the ring during Smith's match, bodyslammed him to the mat and delivered more than 20 punches to his head and face, continuing even after Smith appeared unconscious. Other wrestlers intervened to stop the assault.

Los Angeles police responded to the scene that night following reports of the incident, initially described by some as an attempted murder. Jackson was arrested on September 18, 2025, charged with felony battery with serious bodily injury and released on $50,000 bond. Formal charges followed in October, carrying a...