At UFC 186, Rampage Jackson will make his return to the Octagon against Fabio Maldonado.
Momentarily, Jackson’s UFC return was very much in question. His most recent promoter, Bellator MMA, filed an injunction to have Jackson removed from the UFC 186 card, stating that Rampage’s contract with them still barred him from competing for any other MMA organization:
Jackson, who has completed only three fights of his exclusive six-fight contract with Bellator, is barred by contract from fighting for any promoter other than Bellator. Our lawsuit for an injunction and related relief – filed in the Chancery Division of the Superior Court in Burlington County, New Jersey – will compel Jackson to honor his contractual agreement. We look forward to having one of our MMA stars fighting for Bellator again.
Over one month after Bellator MMA officially announced its injunction, MMAFighting.com’s Luke Thomas reported that the Burlington County Superior Court of New Jersey had ruled that Jackson should be prevented from competing against Maldonado at UFC 186.
The decision left the UFC with less than two weeks to find Maldonado a replacement opponent. Steve Bosse, a former professional hockey player and UFC newcomer who had announced his MMA retirement in 2014 after recurring injuries, was quickly named Maldonado’s new adversary.
However, the UFC was not done fighting to have Jackson appear on the UFC 186 main card. The UFC submitted an emergency appeal to the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division, which overturned the ruling that Rampage could not compete at UFC 186 on Saturday:
As a result, Jackson was added back onto the UFC 186 card only four days before the event. Rampage will compete against Maldonado, while Bosse will have to wait a while longer to make his debut for the world’s top MMA promotion.
Betting Odds
Despite competing outside the UFC for the past two years, Rampage enters UFC 186 as a somewhat sizable favorite over Maldonado.
According to Odds Shark, the odds on Jackson winning stand at 5-13 with hours to go before the UFC 186 fight card begins. Maldonado, meanwhile, currently sits as a 2-1 underdog on most books.
While Jackson isn’t the fighter he once was, it’s not surprising to see him being considered a favorite against Maldonado.
Since December 2001, Rampage has lost only to UFC or Pride Fighting champions and opponents currently ranked among the top 15 light heavyweights on the UFC roster. He’s fallen down the 205-pound ladder, as he’s apparently abandoned his wrestling, but Jackson is capable of competing with the best in the world when he’s on.
Maldonado, on the other hand, does not own a win over a currently ranked light heavyweight. The Brazilian is one of the toughest men in the light heavyweight class and never makes things easy on his opponents, but he relies almost solely on his boxing and lacks the athletic ability needed to become a serious contender.
Prediction
Rampage’s motivation has been questioned regularly throughout recent years, but he continues to win the bouts he’s expected to win. Only elite light heavyweights have been giving him problems, and that shouldn’t be a shocker now that Jackson’s prime years have passed at 36 years old.
Facing an opponent who is 35 years old and has never reached elite status, Rampage should be able to return to the UFC with a win Saturday.
Because Jackson prefers to get into boxing matches with MMA gloves, there is a chance that Maldonado could spoil the former champion’s return to the Octagon. Getting into a stand-up brawl is probably the worst game plan one can have against Maldonado, but that’s how Rampage likes to compete nowadays.
That said, Jackson has developed his current fighting style for good reason. He’s long been one of the better boxers in MMA and should be able to at least hold his own in that department against Maldonado, who was a professional boxer before getting into MMA.
Maldonado possesses one of the best chins in the light heavyweight division, so Rampage might have a tough time putting him away. The more likely outcome would be a decision win for Jackson, and he’ll have an easier path to that outcome if he mixes in some takedowns to avoid boxing with Maldonado for 15 minutes.
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