Quinton “Rampage” Jackson got the victory in his grudge match with “King” Mo Lawal on Saturday night, winning a unanimous decision in their Bellator 120 main event in Southaven, Mississippi.
But the fight was so strange and inconclusive that the winner of the bout was the one calling for a rematch afterwards.
“Rematch!” the former UFC light heavyweight champion yelled during his postfight interview. “I want to see King Mo knocked out. I won’t be satisfied until you get him on the Bellator mat sleeping.”
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In round one, Lawal used his wrestling skills to his advantage, taking Jackson down with ease and keeping him there.
The second round, though, was Jackson’s, as he sprawled most of Lawal’s takedown attempts and began to find a home with his fists.
In the third round, Lawal scored a takedown and pinned Jackson against the fence for much of the round. After Jackson got up, he stalked after Lawal, who backpedaled. And while Jackson mostly swung and missed, landing a couple times, it was enough to give him the decision in the round and in the fight overall. All three judges’ scores were 29-28.
With the win, Jackson (35-11), who is now 3-0 in Bellator, earned a shot at Emmanuel Newton’s Bellator light heavyweight title, but he was far from everyone’s minds in a heated sign.
“He did better than I thought he would,” Jackson said of Lawal. “He was a warrior. I wasn’t happy with my performance.
As for Lawal, the decision continued what has been a frustrating stretch for the former Strikeforce champion. Lawal (12-4, 1 NC) has dropped two of his past three and is 4-3 in Bellator.
“You know what’s up,” said Lawal. “You know I won this f—— fight. Rampage, nothing against you, I beat you though, dog.”