Quinton “Rampage” Jackson may have not retired from the sport of MMA, but he certainly won’t be competing in Bellator soon. After a slew of bad performances, Bellator President Scott Coker made it clear that Rampage has already fought his last fight in the organization.
Rampage vs Fedor
Rampage came into the bout the heaviest he’s ever fought as a heavyweight fighter against Fedor Emelianenko. And, it showed inside of the cage. Jackson looked like a stick in the mud. Shelling up, eating punches, rarely throwing back, and ultimately getting knocked out in the first round.
The first-round knockout loss was embarrassing. For Rampage, the stoppage was the first time since 2005 where he was finished via strikes. Ironically, the ’05 stoppage came in Japan at a Pride event against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Recently, Scott Coker spoke to the media about Rampage. He made it clear that Bellator is heading in a different direction and it moving on from the MMA legend.
“Rampage Jackson, he’s another legend,” said Coker.
“When he fought his fight in Toyko, that was his last fight with Bellator. We haven’t even talked to him or engaged in any kind of conversations. He’s a complete free agent to sign wherever he wants to. If you look at the direction the company is headed, it’s heading in a different direction.”
Jackson Reacts
Fans reacted to Jackson’s performance and concluded that it looked like he didn’t even care. Furthermore, Rampage himself said numerous times leading up to the fight that regardless of what happens, he will still get paid. So, maybe fans should have known that when he came in looking like he didn’t train at all, that something was up.
Now that he is gone from Bellator’s plans, will any other organization take a chance on Jackson? Or, will his retirement but out of his hands?
