During the UFC Fight Night 58 broadcast, the UFC announced that former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has re-signed with the promotion.
The 36-year-old has fought three times for Bellator MMA since his release from the UFC in 2013. And, according to one report, Bellator claims that Jackson is still “100 percent under contract.”
A veteran of 46 career fights, Jackson came to fame under the Pride FC banner. He captured UFC gold against Chuck Liddell at UFC 71. He successfully defended the title against Dan Henderson, but lost it to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86. He would again challenge for gold at UFC 135 against Jon Jones, but succumbed to a fourth-round rear-naked choke. Following two additional losses to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira, Jackson was cut from the promotion.
Soon after his release, Jackson signed a contract with Bellator MMA and was expected to debut against Tito Ortiz. However, Ortiz withdrew and Jackson met fellow UFC veteran Joey Beltran in his promotional debut. He stopped Beltran for his first win in over two years. Jackson then knocked out former champion Christian M’Pumbu before edging former Strikeforce champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in May.
Bellator replaced President Bjorn Rebney with former Strikeforce President Scott Coker earlier this year and Jackson’s name has been noticeably absent from any of the promotion’s upcoming fight announcements.
The UFC stated that Jackson is expected to return to the Octagon in 2015, but it did not acknowledge his contract situation with Bellator.