Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
For the past week, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has stated he will leave UFC after fulfilling his contractual obligations.
It now appears that the promotion will not stand in his way.
UFC announced Tuesday night on Fuel TV that Jackson will no longer be on its roster after his next fight.
Jackson has one fight remaining on his deal. He is slated to face Mauricio Rua in a rematch, but a date for the fight has yet to be determined.
Rua defeated Jackson by first-round TKO in April 2005 during a Pride Middleweight (205 pounds) Grand Prix bout. The fight was held in Osaka, Japan.
UFC has since purchased Pride.
“I will fight whoever they put in front of me, I always have,” Jackson said March 6 on Twitter. “But it will be my last fight in the UFC.
“I have other things on my mind.”
In his most recent Octagon appearance, Jackson was defeated by Ryan Bader. That fight took place on Feb. 25 at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.
But the unanimous-decision loss to Bader was one of several problems Jackson encountered during that promotion.
Jackson was originally scheduled to compete Jan. 28 in Chicago, but he persuaded UFC officials to allow him on the card in Japan, where he had not fought since making his UFC debut in February 2007.
However, Jackson failed to make the required 206-pound limit for a nontitle light heavyweight bout. He tipped the scale at 211 pounds and forfeited 20 percent of his fight purse.
A few days later, Jackson acknowledged taking testosterone injections before the fight. Jackson stated the injections were given to him after he sought medical attention for a knee injury suffered while training to fight Bader.
According to Jackson, it was the manner in which UFC officials responded to his situation before, during and after the Bader fight that caused him to want out of the promotion.
“Let me clear things up for my fans,” Jackson said Monday on Twitter. “I’m upset because I’ve been fighting hurt for a few years now, because I have kids and for y’all.
“The UFC knew I was hurt, in almost every fight I was hurt. But instead of saying thanks for not pulling out (of the fight), they talk shit about a poor job I did.
“I never missed weight (prior to the Bader fight), but when I do nobody stopped for a second to ask I was hurt … so I’m done with them.”
The 33-year-old Jackson has a professional mixed martial arts record of 32-10.
His loss to Bader marked the first time he had dropped two fights in a row. Jackson was defeated by current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on Sept. 24 at UFC 135.
Under the UFC banner, Jackson is 7-4.
He made his UFC debut in February 2007 against Marvin Eastman. Jackson won that fight by second-round knockout.
In his very next fight on May 26, 2007, Jackson knocked out Chuck Liddell to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. He would lose the title July 5, 2008, to Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision.
WRITTEN BY Franklin McNeil | ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE
