Dana White: Rampage Jackson definitely has some ‘legal problems ahead of him’

After over two years away from the Octagon, Quinton Jackson returned to the UFC last Saturday night in a featured co-main event slot at…

By: Karim Zidan | 8 years ago
Dana White: Rampage Jackson definitely has some ‘legal problems ahead of him’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

After over two years away from the Octagon, Quinton Jackson returned to the UFC last Saturday night in a featured co-main event slot at UFC 186 against Fabio Maldonado. Although most expected Rampage’s presence on the card to boost the mediocre PPV event, the fight was awarded with a chorus of boos from disappointed fans at the Bell Centre.

While Rampage earned his first UFC win in nearly four years, it was far from an impressive showing for the fan-favourite. His catchweight bout with Maldonado turned into a humdrum affair that lasted three entire rounds.

UFC President Dana White suggested that Rampage’s absence from the UFC for an extended period of time may have played a factor in his performance.

“Rampage has been gone for a long time. This is the big leagues,” White told Helwani in a post-fight interview following UFC 186. “I don’t know if you remember but when Rampage first came to the UFC and fought Marvin Eastman – very similar performance in that fight.  Now that Rampage is back here, he knows what he’s got to do to stay here.

Jackson is also faced with a legal battle with Bellator, after he chose to self-terminate his contract and sign with the UFC without informing his former employers. While Bellator succeeded in getting an injunction barring Jackson from competing at UFC 186, it was later reversed, which led to Rampage’s appearance on the Montreal PPV.

When asked about the light-heavyweight’s ongoing legal conflict with Bellator, White revealed that Jackson is likely in for some “troubles” in the near future.

“I think he does. I think he’s definitely got some legal troubles ahead of him, so we’ll see how this thing plays out.”

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About the author
Karim Zidan
Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.

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