After a long legal battle with the UFC, Bellator MMA announced today that Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson will be returning to the promotion.
Jackson competed in Bellator from 2013 to 2014, where he was on a three-fight winning streak with the promotion, with victories over Joey Beltran, Christian M’Pumbu and the Rizin 2015 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.
Following his victory over Lawal, Jackson announced that he would be returning to the UFC, but Bellator President, Scott Coker, maintained that Jackson was still under contract with Bellator. Coker stated in a tweet, “Let us be clear that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is under an exclusive contract with #BellatorMMA. We will protect our contractual rights”
Jackson disregarded Coker and returned to the UFC anyways in 2015, facing Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 in April and won the fight by unanimous decision. The Maldonado fight would be Jackson’s last in the UFC.
Rampage Jackson Returns to Bellator
After months of silence on what would be next for Jackson, MMA Fighting reported that Jackson would be returning to Bellator. In their press release, Bellator announced, “Following an amicable agreement to settle the litigation between the two parties, the always entertaining and exciting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is returning to Bellator,” the Bellator statement said. “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, Linton Vassell among others.”
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