Have we seen the last of former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson inside a Bellator MMA ring?
Back in December, the 41-year-old took on MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko and ultimately loss the bout in the first round via knockout. However, many criticized Jackson’s performance by noting that the veteran was noticeably slow and plodding, and Jackson himself apologized for his performance and vowed to never compete at a heavyweight again.
His fight against Fedor Emelianenko was also the final deal on his contract with Bellator MMA and according to Scott Coker, he is willing to re-sign the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, but he has to make sure that the fighter is serious first:
‘Rampage,’ I think he’s got to figure out what weight class he wants to fight at,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “That’s really what it comes down to. We fulfilled our obligation with him and we’re still talking to his manager. We have a good relationship with him and Tiki (Ghosn), and it’s just going to be like: Does he really want to do this?
Does he really want to go out there and throw down? Because there’s times in a fighters career where it’s like, ‘That’s it.’ They’ve done everything they can in the sport. ‘Rampage’ is a legend. He’s already done it all. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anybody, including myself. I think that’s something we’ll have a conversation with him but Tiki is saying he wants to go back down to 205. If he’s really serious about taking another stab at it. We’ll definitely have that conversation.”
Since coming into Bellator MMA in 2013, the MMA veteran has had mixed results within the promotion. Jackson showcased why he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion during his first five fights in Bellator; however, his loss to Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 175 started a downward spiral for the Tennessee native. We’ll see within the coming months about the future of Jackson as the fighter has yet to hint at retirement despite his loss to Fedor Emelianenko.