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Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson ordered off UFC card as tug-of-war with Bellator rages on in court

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson ordered off UFC card as tug-of-war with Bellator rages on in court

A New Jersey Superior Court judge has granted Bellator MMA a preliminary injunction that will keep Quinton "Rampage" Jackson from participating in the co-main event of UFC 186 later this month.

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The news adds another twist in Jackson's ongoing saga as he tries to return to the place where he won light heavyweight gold at UFC 71 in 2007 when he knocked out hall of famer Chuck Liddell in the first round.

And clearly 'Rampage' isn't too keen on the latest development.

"Smart move Bellator!" Jackson wrote on Instagram. "Go to a small town where your company knows the judge to get a [judgment] to [piss off] your customers. #aintworriedboutnothing."

The UFC, meanwhile, released the following statement on Tuesday afternoon, and seemingly appears to be weighing its own options after Tuesday's ruling.

"UFC has been advised of the New Jersey state court’s ruling in the matter between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Bellator MMA. The UFC organization was surprised about the ruling because Mr. Jackson represented to UFC on multiple occasions that he was free to negotiate and contract with UFC. The UFC organization is also surprised that Bellator sat on its alleged rights for months before taking action.

UFC understands that Mr. Jackson is considering an emergency appeal, and UFC is also considering action to protect its rights and minimize damages regarding this matter. UFC 186 in Montreal, Canada will proceed as planned and UFC is currently evaluating its fight card options."

Since leaving the UFC in early 2013 after suffering three consecutive losses, Jackson made the jump to the Viacom-owned rival Bellator.

(Getty)
(Getty)

In Bellator, Rampage managed to put together three consecutive wins; two of which were back-to-back knockout victories – something he hadn't managed since his championship run in 2007.

Then, after seemingly everything was copacetic with his new employer, rumblings began surfacing in Rampage's camp about increasing resentment – a main point of contention was said to be a planned reality show that was mishandled, among other things.

When Jackson signed with Bellator, the chairman and CEO was Bjorn Rebney. Apparently Jackson enjoyed working with Rebney, because when former Strikeforce founder Scott Coker was handed the reigns in 2014 after Rebney's departure, Jackson's attitude began to sour.

By December he had made his intentions clear, and announced that he was cancelling his contract with Bellator, and would be returning to the UFC after, what he claimed, were multiple breaches in his contract.

"After five months of grueling negotiations and gray-area contract talks with Bellator MMA and parent-company Viacom, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson officially terminates his contract with the up-and-coming promotion citing multiple breaches since the removal of President and Founder Bjorn Rebney. Jackson exercises a clause in the agreement that allows for a 45-day window to satisfy any contract dispute. Bellator MMA, failing to fulfill the requests of Jackson, was put on notice, failed to respond and eventually notified that negotiations were officially terminated."

Jackson's jump was a surprise to Scott Coker, and the new president released a statement maintaining that Bellator would fight back. On March 4, a suit was filed by Bellator alleging that the UFC and Jackson were violating an existing contract. Jackson, 36, was booked for his UFC return fight against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 on April 25. Now, with the New Jersey judge's ruling, Jackson has been removed from the card as his career is further tied up in litigation.

It is surprising that the saga of the aging legend has taken as many turns as it has these last few years (losing streaks, winning streaks, new promotions). But, perhaps, what is even more surprising is the fact that the UFC (and their large team of litigators) would agree contractually with Jackson if he was still under contract with Bellator. Did they just take Jackson’s word for it, as the UFC's statement seemingly implies, or did they truly believe Bellator was in breach?

From the start, the Rampage Bellator/UFC saga has seemed largely like a bad sitcom divorce. Now, these two promotions seem determined to battle it out in a courtroom.