Against all odds, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado actually happened at UFC 186. While it seemed like a courtroom battle between Jackson and Bellator MMA that would scuttle the fight, a surprise ruling in New Jersey's appellate court brought the fight back to life...much to the chagrin of Maldonado.
From the first buzzer, Jackson pressed the action, swinging his heavy punches and threatening Maldonado along the cage. For the most part, the Brazilian had no real answer to that. Both men would tire as the minutes wore on, but Rampage never really lost control of the fight.
Jackson would take the victory via a fairly decisive unanimous decision. So what did we learn from this fight?
Fans Shouldn't Get Too Attached to Rampage
While Rampage may have made his way back to the UFC for this fight with Maldonado, there is a serious likelihood that he will be back with Bellator by the end of the year. While the preliminary injunction that initially blocked Jackson from competing at UFC 186 was lifted, he will still be appearing before a judge to determine whether or not he will stay.
It was a huge shock to those in the know that Jackson wound up fighting at UFC 186 at all, and it feels even less likely that he will wind up back with the UFC permanently.
Jackson willy-nilly leaving Bellator for the UFC while still under contract would represent a major shift in the dynamics of the promoter-fighter relationship, and Bellator's claims of irreparable damage are likely justified. Because of that, we're far more likely to see his next fight be in a circular cage than the Octagon unless the UFC hurries him back into the cage before the next hearing.
Neither Man Is a Serious Top 10 Fighter
Maldonado and Jackson, on-paper, were fringe Top 10 fighters. While there was plenty of reason to question either man's staying power when it comes to the top of the division, this fight basically proved all the doubters correct.
In spite of his 3-0 run with Bellator, Rampage remains a technically unremarkable fighter who has questionable cardio and an arsenal limited to devastating haymakers. Maldonado, on the other hand, is still the guy who was gift-wrapped a win over Joey Beltran.
Are they the worst fighters in the world? Far from it. But both men should be labeled as "sideshow" rather than "contender."
Rampage Jackson Is Still a Huge Complainer
Jackson is yet to cross a bridge that he hasn't burned. He had an ugly breakup with Pride. He had an ugly breakup with the UFC. Now he's having an ugly breakup with Bellator.
But even as he tries to rebuild his relationship with the UFC, he can't help but air his dirty laundry. Before and after the fight, Jackson couldn't help but complain about his first UFC run. The problem, for those who don't remember, wasn't money, or promotion or anything of that sort.
The problem was that he didn't (and still doesn't) like to fight wrestlers. Fighting wrestlers is hard. You see...Jackson wants to play real-life Rock'em Sock'em Robots.
That's still a serious issue, of course. Light heavyweight remains chock-full of high-level wrestlers, and while there are more Maldonados and Manuwas these days, the "money" fights for Jackson remain guys such as Rashad Evans and Daniel Cormier. Not good.
You've Got to Feel Bad for Steve Bosse
Seriously. Steve Bosse went from fighting on a pay-per-view main card in his UFC debut to...not actually having a UFC debut. It's a crappy break for the former hockey enforcer, but those are the breaks with MMA promotion.
This card needed Jackson vs. Maldonado a lot more than it needed Maldonado vs. Bosse. You can't fault the UFC for scrambling to put the fight back together...but you can feel bad for him, getting his hopes up only to have them dashed without a second thought.
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