MMA legend Quinton Jackson has just about it seen it all when it comes to both the good and the bad in the sport. But with some mounting criticism of Monster Energy rep Hans Molenkamp, “Rampage” felt a need to speak out.

“I hang out with Hans when we do Monster shoots and things like,” Jackson told MMA Junkie. “Hans will ask you, ‘Let’s do this sh*t for the Internet, for social media,’ but everybody does that now. If you’re a fighter or anything, and you’re hanging out with your peers or your people, people are going to ask you to do some sh*t.

“No way will Hans ever ask people, ‘Do this post for me or you’re not going to get a sponsorship.’ That sh*t is f*cking stupid.”

Molenkamp, who has long worked behind the scenes in the MMA industry even prior to his current gig, helps manage Monster Energy’s MMA marketing efforts. That position sees him in direct contact with the company’s numerous sponsored athletes, which stretch across both the UFC and Bellator brands. While he was hardly a public figure in the role, that changed quite dramatically when former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz recently blasted Molenkamp for using his business relationships for personal gain.

“We’re in a day and age where if I take a picture with Conor McGregor, now I’m Conor McGregor’s ‘friend,’ right?” Cruz asked reporters following his UFC 259 win earlier this month. “If I take a picture with Dominick Cruz and have him commenting on my page, we’re in a day and age where that looks like we’re friends. Well, I may be your friend, but you can’t use me in order to get ‘clout,’ as they put it.”

Jackson actually laughed a little as he discussed Cruz’s criticism, admitting that Molenkamp has at times taken liberties with his social media presence. However, the 20-plus year MMA veteran and former UFC light heavyweight champion also wondered aloud if that wasn’t really the norm for just about anyone online.

“It’s true – Dana White did have to get on Hans,” Jackson said. “Hans would take a picture with Conor McGregor, and he’ll take a picture like they’re talking and he’ll say, ‘Hey, we’ve got some big news.’ He’ll do that, but that’s what social media is. That’s what all those motherf*ckers be doing: ‘Yeah, I’m doing big things with Conor McGregor.’

“He’ll take a picture with Dana like, ‘Yeah, we’re cooking up some business.’ But I see so many other people doing that sh*t. Just because he works for Monster, I don’t know, I think people are hating on him.”

As a longtime Monster-sponsored athlete, Jackson wants to make it clear he’s not speaking out as some kind of loyalty play to Molenkamp. In fact, he says they haven’t spoken much recently and have even had some differences of their own over the years. But “Rampage” believes some of Molenkamp’s practices are being misrepresented and thinks other athletes should join him in talking about it, as well.

“Hans, he has that fighter spirit,” Jackson said. “He’s there for fighters. I notice that about him. And sometimes, me and Hans, we don’t see eye-to-eye. Honestly, we don’t. Sometimes Hans and I don’t see eye-to-eye, and I can understand why people would get mad at him, but whenever he asks me, ‘Let’s do this post,’ and stuff like this, and I’m like, ‘Hans, I’m overweight right now; I don’t want to do this stuff right now.’ He’s like, ‘OK, man. I get it.’ He doesn’t say, ‘Do this post or you ain’t going to get no sponsorship.’

“You can ask people like Daniel Cormier, Jorge Masvidal – those fighters need to step up. Even Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. T.J Dillashaw. Juan Archuleta. These fighters need to come forward.”

Monster Energy execs have said they are looking into any potential improprieties and take Cruz’s claims serious. Meanwhile, a former photographer contracted by the company has come forward to speak out against Molenkamp, as well, saying that fighters are “pretty much held hostage.” Molenkamp, himself, has yet to publicly address the claims.

For his part, Jackson said he’s not denying that Molenkamp might be served well to change some of his tactics but thinks it’s important that people understand that contractual relationships weren’t on the line each time a request was made for someone to like, comment, share and subscribe.

“Hans doesn’t even have the power to say, ‘You don’t get a contract if you don’t post this or do that,’” Jackson said. “I think he can vouch for you, but if you already got a Monster deal, he can’t just cancel your contract because you don’t do something for him. It doesn’t work that way. I just feel bad. It seems like too many people are chiming in, and I’m like, ‘How come nobody is telling the truth about Hans,’ that he isn’t like that?

“He wants to post funny skits with you and stuff, but everybody does that sh*t. We do it to each other. I did that sh*t with the Diaz brothers. I bumped into them in Vegas, and I said, ‘Hey, let’s do a funny skit.’ They could have said, ‘No.’ We did a funny skit, and that sh*t win t viral, like Nick tried to steal my girlfriend. We all do that sh*t to each other. I don’t know why people are trying to act like that is so f*cked up.”