Quinton Jackson returns to Bellator to face Satoshi Ishii
— -- After legal battles and a fight inside the Octagon, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will return to the Bellator MMA cage Friday night, 769 days since his last bout with the promotion. When a reporter recently asked him how he felt about the return, he remarked, "How does it feel to ask me another damn question?"
Jackson (36-11) will look to do his talking in the cage as he takes on Satoshi Ishii in the main event of Bellator 157, also known as Dynamite II. The event will showcase both MMA and kickboxing fights at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis (Spike TV/ESPN Deportes, 8 p.m. ET).
While not open to discussing his road back to Bellator, Jackson was enthusiastic about how he feels the fight will go.
"I'm looking forward to showing off an ass-whupping," said Jackson, 38. "I don't predict s--- because I'm not psychic, but I predict I'm gonna whup his ass!"
So what's Rampage been up to since his May 17, 2014, win over Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal at Bellator 120? He claimed the terms of his contract with Bellator weren't met, breaching the deal, thus making him open to a return in the UFC. After some legal wrangling on both sides, Jackson was able to fight Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 last April, winning by unanimous decision. The lawsuit between Jackson and Bellator MMA was then settled this past February, with Jackson signing a new two-fight deal.
The first fight is against Ishii (14-5-1), a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo. The matchup appears to be a simple striker vs. grappler, but there is much more to it. Rampage has typically used his wrestling in reverse, keeping fights on the feet to allow his hands to get him the victory. For this fight, Ishii has been trying to improve his striking by working with UFC middleweight Gegard Mousasi. Jackson told "The MMA Hour" that he's preparing for the fight in Huntington Beach, California, with UFC vets Tiki Ghosn and Dean Lister, a multiple ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) gold medalist.
"My camp went great; this has been one of the best camps I've had in a long time," Jackson said.
