At the UFC 107 pre-fight press conference on Thursday in Memphis, Tenn., UFC President Dana White confirmed that former light heavyweight champion Quinon “Rampage” Jackson will be returning to the UFC in the near future.
The original plan was to have “Suga” Rashad Evans and Jackson fight each other in Jackson’s home town of Memphis, Tenn. following their stint as coaches on this season of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.
However, before the fight could take place, Jackson announced his retirement from the sport, and his intention of becoming a full-time movie actor. White was bewildered, and the MMA world was in an uproar over the former champion’s refusal to fight Evans after an entire season of TUF showed the two at each other’s throats.
Last week, Jackson proclaimed in a blog post on his website (the same place he announced his retirement), that he would be returning to the Octagon, to finish out his contract with the UFC, and to “shut the mouths” of Evans and White.
During today’s UFC 107 press conference, White echoed Jackson’s intentions to return, “He’s still with us. Rampage is still with us and he’ll be fighting in the next few months.”
White also stated he is no longer upset with Jackson, “I’m not, I’m not really that mad anymore. I’m over it.”
Jackson’s original opponent, Rashad Evans, is fighting Thiago Silva on Jan. 2 at UFC 108. The plan appears to be, to have Jackson fight Evans if he defeats Silva. However, if Silva wins, Jackson’s next opponent is not clear according to a new report on MMAJunkie.
By: Jack Bratcher