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Quinton Jackson is coming off one of the worst performances of his storied career, and Bellator’s CEO is on the fence about whether to bring him back or not.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson has had a long and fruitful career in MMA. The 41-year-old legend has been competing since 1999, and has compiled a long list of wins and highlights along the way. However, over the last few years fans have only seen glimpses of the Rampage of old, and his last bout may have been the worst of his career.
Rampage fulfilled his Bellator contract by taking a New Years Eve fight against another legend, Fedor Emelianenko, late last year. He showed up for the fight at a career-high 265 pounds, and it showed. Fedor dispatched him rather easily, and many thought it might the end of the road for the former UFC light heavyweight champion.
According to Bellator CEO Scott Coker though, it seems that the current free agent might still get another shot at redemption with Bellator – if he can prove he’s serious about a return (via MMA Junkie):
“Rampage, I think he’s got to figure out what weight class he wants to fight at,” Coker said. “That’s really what it comes down to. We fulfilled our obligation with him and we’re still talking to his manager. We have a good relationship with him and Tiki (Ghosn), and it’s just going to be like: Does he really want to do this? Does he really want to go out there and throw down? Because there’s times in a fighter’s career where it’s like, ‘That’s it.’ They’ve done everything they can in the sport.
“Rampage is a legend. He’s already done it all. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody, including myself. I think that’s something we’ll have a conversation with him but Tiki is saying he wants to go back down to 205. If he’s really serious about taking another stab at it. We’ll definitely have that conversation.”
Rampage hasn’t made 205 pounds since a 2014 win over King Mo Lawal, so it might be a big ask to get him back to that mark. But money is a good motivator.