Rampage is back in Bellator. After nearly a year of contract struggles, bitter words and accusations, it was announced today that Light Heavyweight Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s bizarre situation has been resolved, and been resolved in favour of MMA’s second largest promotion Bellator.
The story goes back to 2013, when the UFC decided against renewing Jackson’s contract after he suffered three defeats in a row. At the time, the brash star was loud in his negative comments about the promotion, and how the opponents he faced were unwilling to fight him in exciting fashion.
After his contract expired, Rampage was picked up by Bellator, at that point becoming easily their biggest acquisition. Jackson fought three times for the promotion, winning each bout, albeit one was a controversial decision victory over Light Heavyweight rival Muhammad Lawal. Rampage was booked as the biggest name on their roster, but soon grew disillusioned with what he deemed as unfulfilled promises by Bellator and owners Viacom.
Deciding they had violated the terms of his contract, Jackson announced his leaving of the company and that he would be returning to the UFC.
“When I left, I thought that the UFC was the worst promotion out there and I thought, ‘There’s gotta be somebody who will treat me better,’ ” Jackson said in an interview with Fox Sports. “[Viacom] treated me well for awhile … but the UFC is way better than them.
“I didn’t know what Bellator would be like. You know how it is, when you go to a new organization or job, you are real excited. I thought I was going to have fun making movies, doing pro wrasslin’, they told me we would sell a lot of pay-per-views, a lot of toys, a lot of shirts. I thought, ‘Oh yeah, OK, cool! I’m going to come over here and make a killing. Then, I won’t feel some type of way when I’m out with my kids and can’t get privacy, because I’ll feel it’s worth it.'”
Bellator were not impressed.
When it was announced that Jackson would be facing Fábio Maldonado at UFC 186, Bellator got an injunction, preventing him from making the appearance. That injunction was then overruled by a judge on fight week, which allowed Rampage to fight (and win).
That fight was in April of last year, and since then Jackson has been on the sidelines awaiting the dispute to be resolved. It appears that resolution has finally arrived.
Confirming the news via press release, Bellator MMA said that there had been “an amicable agreement to settle the litigation between the two parties.”
“Bellator MMA is thrilled to have ‘Rampage,’ one of the most recognizable fighters in the history of the sport, joining a very competitive light heavyweight division featuring champion Liam McGeary, Phil Davis, ‘King Mo,’ Tito Ortiz, Emanuel Newton, (and) Linton Vassell, among others,” said the statement.
The signing comes at a time when contract expirations and fighters switching promotions seems to be the current trend.
Recently, Benson Henderson announced his leaving of the UFC for Bellator, and it was expected that move represented a push by the ‘number two’ promotion for bigger named talent. Yesterday though, it was announced that two free agents in the form of Aljamain Sterling and Alistair Overeem had both elected to stay with the larger, more well known UFC.
By bringing Jackson back into the fold, losing out on those two must take the sting out of missing out on other talent for Bellator. Jackson has recently grown a following on streaming site Twitch, and has always commanded an interest in his fights.
Indeed, at the age of 37, Bellator is perhaps a better fit for Rampage, despite a decent showing in his last outing.
It’s as of yet unknown who Jackson will be facing in his returning bout, as no opponent or date as yet been announced, but there is potential. A rematch with ‘King’ Mo Lawal could be enticing, considering the controversial result of their first meeting. Plus, with Bellator President Scott Coker’s current friendly relationship with new Japanese promotion Rizin, a huge fight with Fedor Emelianenko isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
