After a year out of action, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to Bellator to headline the promotion’s second hybrid event, Dynamite 2, on June 24 in St. Louis. Jackson will square off with former Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, as first reported by ESPN.
Jackson (36-11) has been sidelined for the past year due to a contractual dispute. He last fought at UFC 186 on April 25, 2015. The dispute wasn’t with the UFC, however; the dispute was between Jackson and Bellator.
HOT TOPIC > Tony Ferguson Injured; Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira Now Headlines UFC on FOX 19
Having left Bellator in late 2014, proclaiming that the promotion had breached his contract, Jackson fought one time for the UFC, defeating Fabio Maldonado. When the legal wrangling continued after his Octagon return, Jackson, 37, eventually settled with Bellator, returning to the fold.
In his first fight back for the UFC’s top competitor, Jackson will headline what Bellator hopes will become its version of the epic Japanese New Years Eve events of the same name. Just like the Japanese version, Bellator’s Dynamite events feature mixed martial arts and kicboxing bouts.
He will face Ishii (14-5-1), who began his MMA career at Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009, which was a co-promotion between DREAM, Sengoku Raiden Championship, K-1, and K-1 World MAX.
Ishii went on an eight-fight winning streak between 2012 and 2014, but more recently has gone 2-3 in his last five bouts. He is coming off of a knockout loss in the quarterfinal round of a light heavyweight tournament at the first Rizin Fighting Federation event, which is an attempt at rekindling the magic of the Pride FC days.
The Jackson vs. Ishii bout will take place at a catchweight of 215 pounds.
