The UFC have issued an official statement after it was announced that Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson had been withdrawn from his UFC 186 co-main event fight with Fabio Maldonado due an injunction served by Bellator who claim he’s still under contract with them.
“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.”
Of course the UFC’s claim that they were surprised by the ruling should be taken with a rather large pinch of salt since it’s been apparent to everyone from the start that this situation was something of a legal minefield, with Jackson claiming that Bellator had breached his contract, while Bellator had also publically declared the same of him in return.
As things stand UFC 186 proceeds with a weakened card that’s currently headlined by a flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Kyoji Horiguchi, while Michael Bisping Vs CB Dollaway now serves as the co-main event.
