UFC News 2016: Former Light Heavyweight Champion 'Rampage' Jackson Jumps Back To Rival Promotion Company
After signing a new contract with the UFC in 2015, former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has jumped back to Bellator FC, a promotion he was previously fighting with prior to his Octagon return.
In a report by Ariel Helwani for MMA Fighting, Jackson inked a new two-fight contract with Bellator early this week after both parties reached an "amicable settlement" on their lawsuit. Bellator has previously sued Jackson in April of the past year for agreeing to take a fight under the UFC banner, despite still being signed by them.
It had been a back-and-forth battle between the UFC, Jackson, and Bellator, as the latter filed and won a preliminary injunction after Jackson signed his new UFC contract in December 2014. The New Jersey's Appellate Division, however, overturned the decision, which ultimately allowed Jackson to compete in the UFC.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
His last UFC appearance was against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 on April 25th, where he won by unanimous decision. He has since been on the sidelines as he was still awaiting the final resolution to the suit.
The report adds that the specifics of the deal have not been disclosed and his fight date has yet to be determined.
Jackson's previous grievances against Bellator stemmed from his allegations that the company did not provide appropriate data from his May 2013 fight in a timely manner.
For their part, Bellator was firm on their stance that Jackson did commit a breach of contract by signing with the UFC.
The 37-year-old mixed martial arts fighter signed with Bellator in 2013, after being released from the UFC. He has been successful under the company's banner so far, winning three fights: against Joey Beltran, Christian M'Pumbu, and Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal.
He won his first two fights against Beltran and M'Pumbu both by first round knockout, while he prevailed against Lawal via unanimous decision.
