Reports: Judge denies Quinton “Rampage” Jackson from competing at UFC 186
Per MMAFighting.com, a New Jersey state judge has granted Bellator a preliminary injunction claiming that Orange County fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is in breach of his contract. The injunction keeps Jackson from competing at UFC 186 later this month against Fabio Maldonado.
The news comes at an unprecedented time as the fight with Maldonado was scheduled for April 25 and was promoted to the co-main event of the pay-per-view card after the loss of the TJ Dillashaw-Renan Barao title fight. The UFC has been promoting the bout in television commercials and Jackson has been featured in recent UFC broadcasts talking about the fight. Jackson had previously announced that he had re-signed with the UFC on December 20.
The ruling keeps Jackson from competing in the UFC
Jackson signed with Bellator in 2013 after his contract with the UFC expired. In a heavily promoted bout, Jackson was scheduled to fight fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz in Bellator’s first ever PPV event. Ortiz however ended up pulling out of the fight a week early due to injury and Jackson was removed from the card altogether.
“Rampage” would fight three times for the promotion, against Joey Beltran, Christian M’Pumbu, and Muhammad Lawal. The latter would go on to be the first PPV fight for Bellator and was promoted as a long-anticipated grudge match.
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When Jackson signed with the UFC in December he stated that it was due to Bellator not upholding their side of the contract, citing issues such as improperly promoting his fights and not providing him with PPV numbers and compensation. Stating that it was a breach of contract, Jackson took the option to terminate his contract and sign with the UFC as his exclusive promoter.
The saga has continued to play out in the media as Bellator continues to state that they hold the rights to Jackson and that the firmly believed he would be returning to the promotion. The injunction keeps Jackson, for the moment at least, from competing with another promotion besides Bellator.
May 17, 2014; Southaven, MS, USA; Muhammed Lawal after the fight against Quinton Jackson during BFC 120 at Landers Center. Quinton Jackson defeats Muhammed Lawal by unanimous decision. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
When reached for comment Bellator stated “We are pleased by the judge’s ruling and look forward to having Rampage fighting for Bellator again soon.”
Jackson previously fought for the UFC in 2013 and left after suffering a three-fight losing streak to UFC champion Jon Jones, and top contenders Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira. Jackson won the UFC light-heavyweight championship in 2007 and defended it once, the latter being a unification bout with the Pride middleweight title.
He also competed in the highest grossing non-title PPV fight in UFC history, at the time, at UFC 114 against rival Rashad Evans. Jackson competed in the UFC 12 times and became one of the promotions biggest stars during his tenure, twice being a coach for the reality television show The Ultimate Fighter.
Stay tuned at LA Sports Hub for more on this story as details emerge.