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It had been 27 months since UFC fans last saw Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fighting for the UFC and on Saturday night at UFC 186, the 36-year-old former light heavyweight champion of the world was determined to make up for lost time.
Showing a varied attack, filled with flashes of the old “Rampage” mixed with an updated technical approach, Jackson picked apart opponent Fabio Maldonado en route to a unanimous decision victory in front of the Bell Centre crowd in Montreal.
“I’m baaaack!” Rampage said to UFC announcer Joe Rogan post-fight.
“Hey, you guys don’t know how stressed I was. I wanted to come here and fight in front of the Canadian fans so much.
“[But] I had to fight to get here. I had some haters that were trying to stop my return to the UFC. I thought I was gonna do better by leaving the UFC, but I was wrong. I’m the first to admit I was wrong. UFC is the best organization on the planet – I tested it!”
Jackson, of course, is referring to his well-publicized departure from the UFC in 2013 when he jumped ship to rival promotion, Viacom-owned Bellator FC. Jackson left the UFC on a three-fight losing streak but in Bellator he had the opposite fortunes, earning three victories in a row. However, soon after his decision win over Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal in May 2014, Jackson became disenfranchised with Bellator. A regime change was said to have sparked discontent between Rampage and his new employer and he let it be known that he wanted out.
By February 2014 it was announced that Jackson had left Bellator amidst a contract dispute and was coming back to the UFC. When Jackson was billed as the UFC 186 co-main event in March, Bellator filed an injunction to bar Jackson from competing – they said he was still a Bellator-signed fighter. With weeks to go, Jackson was pulled from the card until litigators worked their magic. Early Monday, Jackson made a late arrival for fight week with news breaking that a New Jersey court had lifted the injunction.
Rampage Jackson endures UFC return bout, but did he impress? | Cagewriter - Yahoo Sports