Now that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has settled back into Bellator MMA, it’s time for him to look at potential opponents for the future. During his recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Rampage already began generating interest for some potential matchups.
While on the show, Rampage spoke about a potential fight with Kimbo Slice, the man he coached during season ten of The Ultimate Fighter.
“Well, to be honest, when I did The Ultimate fighter with Kimbo, he kind of mentioned something that he always wanted to fight me and stuff like that. And even though Kimbo’s a heavyweight, I’m a big light heavyweight. What I’m thinking is on The Ultimate Fighter, we seen Kimbo get in shape and do well. I don’t think he took Dada serious, and I don’t think he trained hard for him.
“I’m thinking that if I had to fight Kimbo I think he would most definitely train hard for me and he’d probably get in shape. Especially with that embarrassment out there. There’s a lot of people who are kind of embarrassed of that performance from what I’ve read.”
Jackson also spoke about wanting to fight aonther TUF 10 alumni, Darrill Schoonover. UFC fans may remember Schoonover by the lovable nickname Rampage gave him during the show, “Titties.”
“Perfect world, I’m not going to lie — I’d really, really want to fight ‘Titties’ from The Ultimate Fighter, because I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “We almost got in a fight there and he really thought he could beat me.
“I wanted to beat him up on the show, but I didn’t know if I would go to jail or get kicked off the show.”
Now that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has settled back into Bellator MMA, it’s time for him to look at potential opponents for the future. During his recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Rampage already began generating interest for some potential matchups.
While on the show, Rampage spoke about a potential fight with Kimbo Slice, the man he coached during season ten of The Ultimate Fighter.
“Well, to be honest, when I did The Ultimate fighter with Kimbo, he kind of mentioned something that he always wanted to fight me and stuff like that. And even though Kimbo’s a heavyweight, I’m a big light heavyweight. What I’m thinking is on The Ultimate Fighter, we seen Kimbo get in shape and do well. I don’t think he took Dada serious, and I don’t think he trained hard for him.
“I’m thinking that if I had to fight Kimbo I think he would most definitely train hard for me and he’d probably get in shape. Especially with that embarrassment out there. There’s a lot of people who are kind of embarrassed of that performance from what I’ve read.”
Jackson also spoke about wanting to fight aonther TUF 10 alumni, Darrill Schoonover. UFC fans may remember Schoonover by the lovable nickname Rampage gave him during the show, “Titties.”
“Perfect world, I’m not going to lie — I’d really, really want to fight ‘Titties’ from The Ultimate Fighter, because I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “We almost got in a fight there and he really thought he could beat me.
“I wanted to beat him up on the show, but I didn’t know if I would go to jail or get kicked off the show.”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has reportedly agreed to a two-fight contract with Bellator.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported the news Tuesday. Jackson last appeared in the Octagon at UFC 186 in April 2015…
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has reportedly agreed to a two-fight contract with Bellator.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported the news Tuesday. Jackson last appeared in the Octagon at UFC 186 in April 2015, where he defeated Fabio Maldonado by unanimous decision. Rampage did notch three straight Bellator victories prior to his UFC return.
The 37-year-old’s reversion to Bellator came after he came to a settlement with the company after the two sides had battled a lawsuit for approximately a year.
Jackson claimed his contract was breached when Bellator didn’t provide him with the proper pay-per-view information promptly enough following his triumph over Muhammed Lawal in May 2013.
Since he felt like his contract was violated, Jackson fled back to the UFC, but Bellator saw that as a violation of its original contract with the MMA veteran. What was a tricky situation for both sides has been resolved now.
Ben Fowlkes of USA Today wondered whether the fresh contract will indeed be the end of the Bellator-Rampage spat:
Nevertheless, this new deal has to be a relief for Jackson, who was essentially in limbo at a late juncture of his career while he waited for a lawsuit ruling.
Although Jackson’s next fight has yet to be determined, the MMAFighting.com report indicated it will be announced sometime later this year. The report also states the UFC knows of Jackson’s renewed agreement with Bellator and won’t interfere.
So “Rampage” has at least two more bouts to go before retirement, a move he was almost resigned to as the legal battle between him and Bellator dragged on.
(We’re really, really, *really* missing that Xbox sponsorship right now. via Getty.)
By Sam Stilson
Aside from escaping a fire, it’s never a good thing when the audience starts leaving halfway through the main event of a card. It’s an even worse thing when you’ve already had to close off half the arena just to fill the building. No, UFC 186 was not a successful PPV for the world’s premier MMA organization, but despite its many, many failings, it wasn’t a half-bad display of mixed martial arts…for Bellator, or WSOF, of even a Fight Pass show.
Still the fights went on, winners were crowned and with this trainwreck behind us, we must now wonder where do they go from here?
(We’re really, really, *really* missing that Xbox sponsorship right now. via Getty.)
By Sam Stilson
Aside from escaping a fire, it’s never a good thing when the audience starts leaving halfway through the main event of a card. It’s an even worse thing when you’ve already had to close off half the arena just to fill the building. No, UFC 186 was not a successful PPV for the world’s premier MMA organization, but despite its many, many failings, it wasn’t a half-bad display of mixed martial arts…for Bellator, or WSOF, of even a Fight Pass show.
Still the fights went on, winners were crowned and with this trainwreck behind us, we must now wonder where do they go from here?
Johnson is unfortunately so good that until age catches up to him, this is how every one of his fights is going to go. He has maybe two matches left in the division before the inevitable move back to bantamweight. Dodson is the only flyweight to really give him a challenge and Makovsky is fresh meat, the winner of that bout in May should be DJ’s next opponent.
Horiguchi should take solace in that fact that he’s young and has plenty of time to build his way back up into contention. The first place he should start is with former title challenger and fellow also-ran Chris Cariaso. It’s a good rebound fight for Horiguchi that adds a solid name to his resume, and if Cariaso could pull off the upset it’d solidify his spot in the top 10.
A lot of people seem to be unfairly criticizing Rampage’s performance at UFC 186. No, he didn’t get the knockout, but who does against Maldonaldo? Jackson looked fit and focused and unleashed a varied Muay Thai attack we haven’t seen from him in years. He stated post-fight that he’s on a revenge/legends tour and what better place to start than with the winner of Shogun and Lil Nog? Pride never die.
Fabio Maldonaldo – Should fight: Jan Blachowicz
This is a winnable fight for both men, likely a stand-up affair and would fill up a prelims spot nicely.
Love him or hate him you have to admire Bisping’s tenacity. At 36 and barely clinging to a top 10 ranking he still believes he can be champ. Why dash his dreams again so quickly Joe Silva? Pair him up with a ranked grappler like Thales Leites and see if he can build up another win streak.
C.B. Dollaway – Should fight: Tavares/Whittaker loser
I don’t think anyone truly believed C.B. was a top 10 fighter but at least he got his chance to fight the cream of the crop. A step back to the TUF alumni circle would do him well and the loser of Tavares/Whittaker would fit the bill nicely.
‘The Bull’ has always been an undersized lightweight, but he looked tiny against Shane Campbell . Sure he won, but against the behemoths that populate the upper ranks of lightweight, the size disparity will eventually become insurmountable. Featherweight is wide open and a win against someone like Diego Brandao or Darren Elkins would instantly make him a ranked fighter, something unlikely to ever happen at 155.
A vaunted kickboxer, Campbell looked good for the first few minutes of his bout against Makdessi, but eventually succumbed to his power. A good rebound fight would be against Tony Martin who also recently lost a main card bout. It’d be a fun grappler vs. striker battle and would give both men a chance to redeem their high-profile failures.
The hype is strong in this one. At just 23, Almeida is now 19-0 and a top 15 UFC bantamweight. While he looked incredible knocking out a solid veteran in Yves Jabouin, he shouldn’t be rushed too far up the ladder. Frankie Saenz who just upset Iuri Alcantara would make a great next dance partner. He’s ranked 13th, and his smothering, wrestling-based attack would either expose Almeida or allow him show another facet to his game.
Now 35 and with a 2-3 record in his past five fights, Jabouin’s chances at the top 15 appear to have come and gone. Rather than feed him to another young buck, he should face another fighter on a downward trend. Marcus Brimage has a bit of name value left, and this bout would make for an entertaining striking battle.
Rampage Jackson needed to win a fight in court to even make it to UFC 186. Once there, Jackson proved he still has plenty left in the tank.
The former light heavyweight champion earned a unanimous-decision win over Fabio Maldonado at Saturday’s pay-per…
Rampage Jackson needed to win a fight in court to even make it to UFC 186. Once there, Jackson proved he still has plenty left in the tank.
The former light heavyweight champion earned a unanimous-decision win over Fabio Maldonado at Saturday’s pay-per-view, flashing his trademark power and a promising amount of patience. It was a surprising turn given how cooked Jackson looked the last time he stepped onto the UFC stage. To most, his loss to Glover Teixeira two years ago signaled the end, that perhaps he’d hang it up after dropping three straight fights.
On Saturday, Jackson proved his undying self-confidence was correct.
Aggressive from the outset, Jackson was dominant early and never really wavered. He hit Maldonado with a series of power punches, fighting with an anger that would have caused a lesser fighter to fold. Maldonado was able to keep himself upright until the final bell, but there was no question about the victor when the scorecards were read off.
“Fabio is a boxer, and I like people who stand with me,” Jackson said, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. “He did a good job. Respect. I trained to knock him out, and he’s got a chin of steel. I hit him with everything but the kitchen sink.”
Jackson has now picked up four consecutive wins since the loss to Teixeira, slowly moving his way back up the light heavyweight rankings. Of course, three of those wins came in a Bellator stint that nearly derailed Jackson’s return to the UFC.
The fighting promotion and its former top star are engaged in a high-profile legal battle that temporarily took the Jackson-Maldonado fight off of the UFC 186 card. Allowed to fight after earning a temporary injunction, he clearly relished at being back on the big stage.
“You guys can’t know how stressful [the legal fight with Bellator] was; I wanted to come here and fight in front of the Canadian fans,” Jackson said, per Daniel Austin of the Toronto Sun. “I had to fight here. I thought I was going to do better by leaving the UFC, and I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. The UFC is the best.”
As for Jackson’s next step, that remains entirely unclear. He wants to continue fighting in UFC. Following Saturday’s win, the former champ made his intentions clear by seemingly calling out half the light heavyweight roster.
“Honestly, I want to come back and beat everybody that beat me,” Jackson told Mike Bohn and Matt Erickson of MMAJunkie.com. “I want to fight [Mauricio] ‘Shogun’ [Rua], Rashad [Evans], Glover [Teixeira], and make my way back up to Jon [Jones]. That’s the honest truth.”
Whether Jackson will get an opportunity to pull that off is another question entirely. Bellator still plans on continuing its suit to keep Jackson’s contract, a move that could force him to fight with the promotion against his will or retire. Jackson has not fought for Bellator since defeating MuhammedLawal in May of last year.
The case will undoubtedly help shape the future of the light heavyweight division in UFC. Jackson, though getting up there in age (he’s 36), showed he can dictate the terms of a high-profile bout on Saturday. The pace was largely slow, with Jackson’s fits of aggression coming at the perfect time against Maldonado, who really only looked strong in the second round.
It was the type of fight that puts the rest of the MMA world on notice. Jackson didn’t return just to cash a few checks on his way out the door. Had he been doing that, Bellator would have been a fine stage. The promotion lavished him with a huge contract and promoted him as a franchise face. Playing out the string and continuing to dominate lesser fighters at Bellator would have been a nice, quiet final chapter in his storied career.
Jackson has made it clear that he doesn’t want to walk away with a whimper. He’s determined to go out on his own terms, whether that is a meteoric rise to take Jon Jones’ championship or flat on his back.
Now it’s up to the courts to decide whether that will happen.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is back in the UFC…for now, at least. He’s also once again in the win column.
Facing Brazilian slugger Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186, Jackson pressed the action early, pushing his foe to the cage and slinging heavy hands with r…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is back in the UFC…for now, at least. He’s also once again in the win column.
Facing Brazilian slugger Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186, Jackson pressed the action early, pushing his foe to the cage and slinging heavy hands with reckless abandon. While Maldonado pulled together some offense as the fight wore on, he had little answer to Jackson’s pressure. The result was a clear-cut unanimous decision in favor of the former champ (to the tune of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
While a four-fight winning streak would usually prompt questions regarding his place in the rankings and whether or not he is angling for a run at the title, things are very different for Rampage. His ongoing legal dispute with Bellator makes it unclear where his fighting future will take place and whether the next cage he fights in will be octagonal or circular.
So why not look at a few different potential opponents for Rampage across both promotions?
Linton Vassell
Bellator‘s light heavyweight division is not particularly deep these days, but for what they lack in numbers, they make up in interesting European strikers. Any of them would be an interesting opponent for Jackson, but for where they are in the division and in their careers, the best option overall would likely be Linton Vassell.
Vassell, for those who missed him, earned a surprising shot at then-light heavyweight-champion Emanuel Newton in 2014 on the heels of a solid nine-fight winning streak. Vassell would prove himself to be a formidable fighter by repeatedly threatening Newton early in the fight, but he would be forced to tap to a fifth-round rear-naked choke. He has since bounced back with a knockout over Pride and UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
This would be the kind of fight Rampage has traditionally angled for, and it’s one that works out as a win-win for Bellator. A happy, winning Jackson is one that is more likely to stick around and, even if he loses and/or leaves, giving a bit of “the rub” to a long-term asset like Vassell is a wise move.
Ovince Saint Preux
Unlike Bellator, the UFC has a few different ways they can approach promoting a fight with Rampage. The UFC can either bend to his wishes and give him winnable fights against people that aren’t “cowards” (or, as everyone else calls them, wrestlers) or they can take the pro wrestling approach and try to build up a younger fighter at his expense.
Ovince Saint Preux is the kind of fighter who could use a fight against somebody like Jackson. Strikeforce’s pet project has been solid in the UFC thus far, amassing a 6-1 record with his most recent wins being emphatic knockouts of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Patrick Cummins. However, while OSP has been impressive in the cage thus far, fans have yet to catch on to him.
A fight with Jackson would be the biggest of Saint Preux‘s life and could build his brand in a huge way. It would also be fun to see how Jackson attempts to diminish OSP‘s skills after he loses a contest that mostly takes place standing.
Mark Hunt
This might sound a little bit crazy, or it might sound like a fan dream match…but hear me out! Ol‘ Rampage is still staring down dozens of Viacom-owned lawyers but, quite frankly, that isn’t the UFC’s problem. According to MMAFighting.com‘s Luke Thomas, the reversal of the preliminary injunction opens the door to a return if Rampage is willing to have a relatively quick turnaround:
Attorneys contacted by MMA Fighting were split on opinion about Rampage’s future. Some viewed judge Kennedy’s decision as proof that Bellator‘s case against Rampage just got significantly stronger in terms of damages. Others believe once Saturday passes, Bellator still has a larger case against Rampage, but nothing to stop him from competing again in the short run. Bellator will have to file another preliminary injunction to halt any subsequent UFC fight, but if one fight’s already been allowed, is there really any additional harm in two or three more?
The UFC, still searching for ways to get fans to tune in, would be wise to try to get as much out of Jackson as they can. The light heavyweight division is booked solid at this time, with few viable opponents outside Saint Preux. The heavyweight division, however, has more than a few interesting possibilities, in particular UFC Fight Night 65 main eventer Mark Hunt.
Hunt faces StipeMiocic in a couple weeks and, if Rampage gets a clean bill of health in his post-fight evaluation and Hunt can leave Adelaide, Australia unscathed, the timing would be pretty much perfect. The bout would be fun, easy for fans to get behind and would be a strong Fight Night main event or pay-per-view co-headline.
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may be 36 years old, but he was still able to show fight fans a little something different in his victory over Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186.
All three judges scored it for Jackson …
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may be 36 years old, but he was still able to show fight fans a little something different in his victory over Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186.
All three judges scored it for Jackson in what was a somewhat definitive performance in his return to the Octagon, per UFC News:
“That guy has a chin of steel,” Rampage said after the fight, per Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda. “I hit him with everything but the kitchen sink.”
The fight itself fell somewhat short of expectations. Given the fighters’ respective styles and the fact that they had almost nothing to lose, some wondered if Jackson and Maldonado would throw caution to the wind and attack right from the opening bell.
On the whole, Jackson owned the advantage throughout the bout and was clearly the deserving winner. According to UFC.com, he landed 114 total strikes and 99 significant strikes, compared to 94 and 67, respectively, for Maldonado. SB Nation’s Submission Radio felt that Maldonado was basically hoping Jackson would punch himself out:
By the time the third round was wrapping up, it was clear that Jackson was running out of gas. He admitted following the win that his contract dispute with Bellator adversely affected his pre-fight preparation, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:
He had managed to absorb Maldonado’s blows, though, without suffering much damage. Maldonado had a clearly defined game plan that relied on body blow after body blow. It didn’t quite work out as Rampage never looked to be in much danger. He also had Maldonado looking a little worse for wear by the final bell.
Chris Weidman was impressed by what he saw from the former UFC light heavyweight champion:
Jackson even managed to include a surprise in the form of a head kick, which Kenny Florian didn’t see coming at all:
Really, all things considered, it was about as good of a performance as anybody could have expected from Jackson. UFC fans have long labeled him as somewhat lazy and a guy who would never fulfill his massive potential.
It’s not like the Rampage of 2015 is going to be vastly different from the Rampage of old. The time for him to alter his career path has passed.
His run in Bellator wasn’t exactly glittering, either. Yes, he went 3-0 with the company, but none of those victories was overwhelmingly impressive. He basically looked like an aging fighter who was struggling to keep up with the technical and tactical shifts happening in the sport.
It’s tough to tell what the future holds for Jackson. He’s seemingly too old to contend for the light heavyweight title, and beating Maldonado isn’t the kind of victory that makes fans believe he should vault to the top of the rankings. The 35-year-old Brazilian has now lost two of his last three and five of his last nine fights.
In order to earn a rematch with Jon Jones, Jackson will have to seriously increase the difficulty level. There’s no telling whether he’ll stick around long enough to make that happen or if he can truly compete with the cream of the crop in the division.
Still, if Jackson’s remaining time UFC is nothing but midcard bouts on major cards, then that’s not a bad way to wrap up a career.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has reportedly agreed to a two-fight contract with Bellator. 