Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Quinton Jackson’s negotiations with the UFC came after a failed attempt to renegotiate his deal with Bellator.
Bellator President Scott Coker claims Jackson’s relationship with the Viacom-owned promotion soured after the two couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract, according to a statement Coker provided as part of the promotion’s lawsuit against the fighter.
The statement, obtained today by MMAjunkie, provides key background on the Bellator’s legal showdown with Jackson. The promotion has filed an injunction against the fighter, asking a judge to prevent him from returning to the UFC to fight Fabio Maldonado next month at UFC 186.
Jackson (35-11 MMA, 7-5 UFC) claims Bellator breached its contract with him when it failed to provide him a report of pay-per-view figures for Bellator 120, the promotion’s lone foray into pay-per-view, and then failed to resolve the dispute within 45 days. Bellator claims Jackson breached his lavish deal by signing with the UFC, among other claims.
A hearing on the lawsuit is set for April 2 in Superior Court in Burlington County, N.J.
In his statement, Coker claims Jackson’s longtime rep, Anthony McGann, signaled the ex-champ’s desire to renegotiate in June 2014, one month after his win over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal at the May 17 pay-per-view event, which Bellator said garnered 100,000 “buys.” (Per Jackson’s contract, also obtained by MMAjunkie, he was entitled to make $4 for every buy over 190,000.)
“McGann … told me that Jackson ‘was not happy’ with his deal with Bellator and that it needed to be changed,” Coker stated. “Because Jackson was – and is – extremely important to Bellator and its future plans, I agreed to discuss the agreement with Jackson and McGann.”
MMAjunkie was unable to reach Coker or McGann for comment.
Coker claims McGann told him that Bellator’s former CEO, Bjorn Rebney, had promised Jackson a $200,000 bonus payment; Coker’s statement does not reveal the reason for the bonus.
Coker stated that while he believed Bellator had lived up to its contractual agreement to Jackson, he authorized the fighter be paid the bonus “to resolve the concerns he and his manager were raising, including those regarding the ‘King Mo’ fight.”
“Jackson picked up that check himself at my office,” he added.
The payoff, however, did not satisfy its recipient, according to Coker. The executive said Jackson told him the current contract was “inadequate” and “he only signed it because McGann had insisted that he do so.” Jackson also claimed he was no longer represented by McGann.
Yet, Coker said after “a few conversations” with Jackson, McGann was again negotiating on the fighter’s behalf.
“Jackson’s outrageous demands and the burden of determining who was handling the negotiation on his behalf made it difficult to negotiate with him,” Coker stated.
Coker said he reached out to MMA manager Mike Kogan to “assist in the negotiation to try to bridge the gap.” The ploy was unsuccessful. (Kogan confirmed to MMAjunkie that he acted in the role described by Coker, but declined to provide details on his efforts.)
At that point, Coker stated, as Bellator “considered how to respond to Jackson’s ever increasing and convoluted demands,” McGann threatened that he would disparage Bellator in the press and “make public the details of the agreement despite the fact that he was aware that the agreement contained a strict confidentiality provision.”
Additionally, McGann claimed that Bellator had breached its contract with Jackson, claiming Rebney had made promises about Jackson’s pay, the performance of Jackson’s reality show and entertainment industry opportunities procured for the fighter.
After five months of negotiations, on Nov. 21, 2014, McGann took action, serving the promotion with notice that Jackson was terminating his contract because it had failed to him Jackson with a summary report of Bellator 120’s pay-per-view performance.
“In the end, we were not able to come to new terms with Jackson despite my best, good faith efforts to do so,” Coker stated. “I view Jackson’s demands as simply a bid to get a better deal than he could have gotten coming off his losing streak with UFC, once Bellator had built him back up.
“When he was unable to extract more money than his contract provided, Jackson purported to terminate the agreement based on his manufactured allegations that Bellator had breached.”
Shortly afterward, Coker stated he had heard Jackson was in negotiations with the UFC in alleged violation of his Bellator contract. The UFC confirmed negotiations with the fighter, which prompted Coker to direct an email to the UFC Chief Legal Officer Kirk Hendrick stating that Jackson wasn’t a free agent.
“In response, UFC sent an e-mail stating ‘that the representations made to us on this subject are directly contrary to those set forth in your email,'” Coker stated. “‘We will look into the matter and follow up with you if necessary.'” Soon thereafter, UFC announced that it has re-signed Jackson.”
For more on the upcoming schedules for both Bellator and UFC, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
Filed under: Bellator, News, UFC
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