Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is making his highly anticipated return to the UFC, as he's slated to square off with Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 in Montreal's Bell Centre on Saturday.
At age 36, Jackson may not have much left to offer in the Octagon. He's lost his past three UFC appearances but did rattle off three consecutive victories in Bellator MMA to at least provide a foundation of recent, positive results as he returns to top-flight competition.
Bellator MMA had filed a court injunction that took Jackson off the UFC 186 card until this last Tuesday, so the bout appeared to be in doubt until the last minute.
UFC.com's Nancy Gay reported on the news and also included UFC President Dana White's comments about the legal decision to let Jackson fight, along with thoughts on Rampage's enduring popularity:
We are happy with the decision from the New Jersey Court allowing Rampage to fight in Montreal this Saturday night. I am looking forward to seeing Rampage back in the Octagon. [...] Rampage isn't always the most personable person when you meet him, but he comes to fight. At the end of the day, if you're a fight fan and you love guys who love to stand up, who love to trade, Rampage is fun to watch.
In case something goes awry and Bellator MMA upends Jackson's bid to fight for the UFC and neglect his Bellator contract, it's important to keep tabs on the latest happenings. For now, it appears Rampage is ready to roll for UFC 186 and may well carry on with the company due to his apparent burning of the Bellator bridge.
At Thursday's press conference, which featured a staredown between the marquee competitors, Maldonado explained how eager he's been to take on Rampage, per Fox Sports: UFC:
Maldonado has reason to be confident ahead of his showdown with Jackson. The Brazilian veteran registered a TKO in the second round of his outing at UFC 179 against Hans Stringer.
Although few know exactly what to expect from Rampage, his own punching power has knocked out the likes of Chuck Liddell in the past. Jackson and Maldonado are known for having strong chins, which adds to the excitement of their matchup.
Breaking MMA Odds noted how Jackson opened as the clear-cut favorite, and the latest numbers from Odds Shark haven't done much to drastically alter the perceived fight forecast:
It should be a fascinating, hard-hitting catchweight affair between Jackson and Maldonado—a nicely juxtaposed co-main event along with the flyweight championship clash between Demetrious Johnson and challenger Kyoji Horiguchi.
With regard to how the fight will ultimately play out, there's reason to believe Rampage should be on upset alert. He likely won't be in peak physical condition, and Maldonado has plenty of motivational fuel as the underdog against his dream-scenario adversary.
Rampage has never truly realized his full potential, which isn't to take away from the accolades he has achieved in the past as a former UFC light heavyweight champion. Even with the Bellator MMA legal battle serving as a distraction and a lot of lingering uncertainty as to whether Saturday's fight would actually happen, Jackson has the tools necessary to get past Maldonado by a decision at the very least.
The fans in Montreal will be rallying behind Rampage and cheering him on in his first UFC fight since January 2013. That should be enough to rally the supremely gifted fighter and see Rampage put on a show en route to a victory, improving his UFC mark to 8-5 overall.
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