Quinton Jackson is back in the UFC and brass didn’t take very long to get him a fight.
“Rampage” will take on Fabio Maldonado in his return at UFC 186 on April 25 in Montreal, UFC president Dana White announced Saturday on Canadian television station TSN.
Jackson (35-11) won three in a row for Bellator MMA after being released from the UFC in 2013. There is controversy surrounding his re-signing with the UFC, which occurred last month. Bellator claims “Rampage” is still under contract with the organization, while Jackson contends that he terminated the deal because Bellator did not fulfill its end of the bargain.
Either way, “Rampage” remains extremely popular and an exciting fighter against the right opponent. He lost three in a row against elite light heavyweights before getting cut by the UFC and Maldonado represents a fun fight that is a drop in competition level, kind of similar to what he was getting in Bellator. Jackson last fought in May, beating Muhammed Lawal by unanimous decision.
Maldonado (22-7) is one of the most exciting fighters in the light heavyweight division, willing to stand up and trade against anyone. He has won three of his last four bouts with the only defeat coming versus Stipe Miocic when Maldonado went up to heavyweight on short notice. Maldonado, 34, is coming off a win over Hans Stringer at UFC 179 in October.
UFC 186 will be headlined by a featherweight title rematch between champion T.J. Dillashaw and former titleholder Renan Barao. White also announced that bout Saturday, along with the co-main event of Rory MacDonald and Hector Lombard. It will be the UFC’s first trip back to Montreal since March 2013 when Georges St-Pierre defeated Nick Diaz.