Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) issued a statement on today's (Tues., April 7, 2015) news that a court ruled in favor of Bellator, granting an injunction against Quinton Jackson that will prohibit him from competing against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 on April 25, 2015 (details).
A move that promoted "Rampage" to clown on his former employer for "pissing off its customers" and using acquaintances in the legal system to rule in its favor.
Despite the setback, UFC will continue on with the planned pay-per-view (PPV) event -- which goes down in Montreal, Quebec, Canada -- and is looking at options to fill the potential void. Needless to say, the ZUFFA brass was surprised that a court ruled in favor of its rival, but did reveal that Jackson will file an emergency appeal.
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.
Jackson re-signed with UFC late last year after Bellator MMA claimed Jackson violated his contract by abandoning the Viacom-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. And though "Rampage" insists he was free and clear to deal with someone else, a court says otherwise.
For now.
The blow is the latest one UFC 186 has suffered in the past few months. After a fight between Rory MacDonald and Hector Lombard was scrapped thanks to "Shango's" steroid bust, T.J. Dillashaw was forced out of his title fight rematch against Renan Barao due to injury.
Add the "Rampage" debacle, and what was once a stacked PPV will now feature a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi. A middleweight showdown between Michael Bisping and C.B. Dolloway will now, potentially, serve as co-main event.
To see the latest updated fight card click here.