Perhaps there was a time when Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was worth the hassle.Maybe back in 2007—when he entered the UFC with three straight victories and won the light heavyweight championship from Chuck Liddell—it was possible to block out all his background noise.Considering his advanced age and considerable baggage (Warning: link contains NSFW language), picking a fight over the 2015 version of Rampage Jackson just feels like a lot of trouble the embattled UFC doesn’t need at the moment.
It certainly struck a very weird note on Saturday when the organization breathlessly announced Jackson’s return. It was less than two years ago, after all, that the notoriously disgruntled fighter left the UFC amid scorched earth (more NSFW language) and hard feelings, and, as of right now, we don’t even know if he’s legally allowed to come back.Rampage contends he’s terminated his relationship with Bellator MMA after the smaller company failed to live up to the terms of their contractual agreement. But Bellator CEO Scott Coker says not so fast, and a court battle now appears in the offing.Nonetheless, everybody managed to keep a straight face over the weekend. The UFC gave Jackson a welcome-back video package and an interview spot on Fox Sports 1 while mostly ignoring the fact it’ll probably take legal action to actually get him back in the Octagon."You have no idea how excited I am to come back," Jackson said on TV that night. "This is where I belong."Still, this is a man who clearly ain’t what he used to be.
But for much of the last year, the UFC has looked like it needed all the help it could get at the box office, and it's now pulling out all the stops. Despite an avalanche of stellar fights already planned to open 2015, it thinks it needs even more help. It needs recognizable names, and perhaps that’s the last thing Jackson can still provide.
If the ratings Bellator pulled last month letting Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar duff around the cage for 15 minutes are any indication, there is still a sizable crowd of fight fans eager to watch the fading stars of yesteryear. Jackson should neatly fill that niche and maybe even succeed in propping up pay-per-view buyrates and television ratings for a fight or two.
But the run will be short, and it will no doubt end in flames.Knowing the bother it will take to even make it happen, it hardly seems worth it.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2307109-with-contract-fight-brewing-rampage-jackson-not-worth-the-trouble-for-ufc
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