It is now official, Quinton Rampage Jackson will make his Bellator return in June at the companies second edition of its Dynamite series. Jackson’s reappearance (re-debut?) for the California based promotion will occur in a catch-weight (215) bout against former Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, multiple outlets are reporting. The match-up will be the headliner of the promotions June 24 show at a yet to be determined venue.
Rampage Jackson Will Make His Bellator Return In June
Jackson’s long and winding road back to Bellator MMA started in December of 2014, when he resigned with the UFC despite technically still being under contract to his former, and now new, employer. The Jackson camp claimed “breach-of-contract” as the reasons for his departure, and return to, the top MMA promotion in the land. The saga continued, when after being scheduled to face Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186, Bellator was able to procure an injunction against the Las Vegas based company, to stop the fight from occurring. However, the injunction was lifted and the fight went on as scheduled.
But oh no, the story did not end there. After earning a unanimous decision win in that April 2015 bout, litigation continued between the two companies, and after coming to an “amicable agreement”, the 37-year-old Jackson was sent packing back to Bellator. This will now be “Rampage’s” fourth bout with the company after going 3-0 in his original stint with the promotion.
As for the other man in this wild tale, Satoshi Ishii, the Dream and K1 veteran is 2-2 in his last four. He is coming off of a first round knockout loss to Jiri Prochazka at Decembers Rizin FF show. The former Olympian has had an inconsistent career, marked with questionable match-making. This will be a major opportunity for the 29-year-old to get his name back on fans and analysts radars as a legit talent in the sport.
