UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator is moving on from free agent Quinton Jackson.
Wednesday, Bellator president Scott Coker told MMA Junkie the company is moving in a “different direction” and that Jackson (38-14) is free to sign with any other promotion that interests him.
“‘Rampage’ Jackson, he’s another legend,” Coker said after the Bellator 253 ceremonial weigh-ins at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. “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, 42, has not competed since a TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 237 in December 2019. “Rampage,” a storied UFC and PRIDE champion, had two stints in Bellator.
From 2013-2014, Jackson went 3-0 in Bellator before returning to the UFC. In 2017, Jackson returned to Bellator, where he went 2-3 before the sides parted ways. Jackson’s Bellator victories include Wanderlei Silva, Satoshi Ishii, Muhammad Lawal, Christian M’Pumbu and Joey Beltran.
Bellator returns Thursday with another installment of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix tournament. Bellator 253 is headlined by a semifinal bout between Darrion Caldwell and A.J. McKee. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network/DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.
