UFC 91: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson could return in Portland November 15
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will likely return to action at UFC 91 in Portland, Ore., on November 15, according to recent statements attributed to promotion president, Dana White, in a recent Yahoo!Sports.com article.
This latest news comes hot on the heels of a recent court appearance, during which Jackson was charged with two felonies and four misdemeanors for a bizarre traffic-related incident that took place just last month.
He’s currently free on $25,000 bail. His troubles outside the cage, however, won’t appear to slow his road back to championship gold inside the Octagon.
Here’s a snip from White:
“Of course he’ll fight. If he was doing drugs, if he had been drunk, if he had gone out there and done what he did because he was pissed off at someone, that would be a completely different story. But he was ill. And in this company, we support our friends and anyone who works for us when they’re ill and have problems. He was ill, the incident occurred, and now he’s fine. Rampage feels awful about the woman’s baby, but he had nothing to do with it. And the (traffic incident) occurred because he was very ill and not with him in control of his faculties.”
For more background on “the incident” feel free to get up to speed right here.
Of course, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been beating his war drum recently, telling several media outlets that he intends to return from a serious knee injury and face Jackson in December. It would set up a rematch of a fight under the Pride FC banner back in 2005, which Rua won in lopsided fashion with a crushing first round knockout.
That’s news to Jackson, however, according to a recent interview with Fighters Only Magazine.
Here’s his reaction:
“I didn’t know anything about Shogun, I was trying to get Wanderlei Silva, I was told I might be fighting him. But to be honest with you, I don’t really give a damn who I fight, I just want to fight and show the world that Rampage is the best when he gets the best elements around him and the best training.”
Therefore, unless Rua intends to come back sooner rather than later, it appears that his plans for a rematch on New Year’s Eve weekend could be dashed.
That’s because UFC 91 currently lacks a main event-caliber headliner. And the addition of Jackson would likely be the missing piece to putting together a solid pay-per-view (PPV) main card puzzle that already includes a lightweight clash between Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson, as well as a potential heavyweight showdown between Brock Lesnar and Cheick Kongo.
Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.
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