We could see a fourth fight between PRIDE legends and longtime rivals Wanderlei SIlva and Rampage Jackson, only this time in the Bellator MMA cage.
One of MMA’s most famous rivalries could possibly have a fourth chapter, ten years after the trilogy matchup, and under a third different promotion.
Bellator MMA president Scott Coker told MMAjunkie that his promotion is working on another installment of Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson. There’s no venue, date, or even weight class confirmed for this matchup, should it materialize.
Silva (35-13-1-1 NC) returned to fighting for the first time since 2013, losing by unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen in the Bellator: NYC pay-per-view main event last June. The 41-year-old had just finished serving a three-year ban by the Nevada Athletic Commission after refusing to submit drug tests for a scheduled 2014 UFC matchup against Sonnen. You’d have to go back to March 2013 to find his last win, which was a second-round KO of Brian Stann in a light heavyweight matchup.
Rampage (37-13) is just under two months removed from losing to Chael Sonnen by decision, thereby eliminating him from Bellator’s heavyweight tournament. The former PRIDE and UFC champion also suffered a unanimous decision defeat vs. Muhammed Lawal last year, so he’s on a two-fight losing skid. Considering how often Jackson has complained about being booked against wrestlers, another fight with Wanderlei would at least put that concern aside.
The current scoreboard has Wanderlei up 2-1 over Rampage in the series, with all three fights ending in a knockout. Silva’s wins both came under the PRIDE banner — the first in 2003, then the iconic second in 2004 — while Rampage annihilated Wanderlei at UFC 92 in 2008.
Wanderlei recently expressed interest in becoming a fight promoter, and wants to have Bellator MMA come to a soccer stadium in Curitiba, Brazil. The promotion has never staged an event in South America.