"Rampage" Jackson (photo via Bellator.com)

By FCF Staff

“Rampage” Jackson is scheduled to fight Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186 on April 25th, but Bellator has announced that the promotion has filed a lawsuit, which could prevent the light-heavyweight from making his Octagon return.

In December, the UFC announced that is had resigned Jackson, who had left the organization in 2013 and proceeded to compete for Bellator. Immediately after the announcement, Bellator President Scott Coker insisted the fighter was still under contract, but Jackson and his camp say the promotion did not honor all the terms of his deal.

Jackson was eventually booked to fight Maldonado at UFC 186, but on Monday, Bellator released the following statement:

Today, Bellator MMA was compelled to go to court to stop Quinton “Rampage” Jackson from fighting in an April 25th bout promoted by Bellator’s competitor, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  Jackson, who has completed only three fights of his exclusive six-fight contract with Bellator, is barred by contract from fighting for any promoter other than Bellator. Our lawsuit for an injunction and related relief – filed in the Chancery Division of the Superior Court in Burlington County, New Jersey – will compel Jackson to honor his contractual agreement.   We look forward to having one of our MMA stars fighting for Bellator again.

The UFC has yet to make a response. Jackson went 3-0 during his run with Bellator, after losing his last three bouts with the UFC.