Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's UFC Return Blocked for Now Due to Court Injunction

Bellator MMA has been granted a preliminary injunction that will nix the upcoming UFC 186 bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Fabio Maldonado. The news was first reported by Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com. 

Representatives of Jackson and Bellator appeared before a judge in the Burlington County Superior Court of New Jersey on Monday regarding their ongoing dispute over Jackson's return to the UFC.

UPDATE: Tuesday, April 7 at 4:15pm ET 

The UFC has released a statement via their website in regard to situation surrounding Rampage Jackson: 

"

UFC has been advised of the New Jersey state court’s ruling in the matter between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Bellator MMA. The UFC organization was surprised about the ruling because Mr. Jackson represented to UFC on multiple occasions that he was free to negotiate and contract with UFC. The UFC organization is also surprised that Bellator sat on its alleged rights for months before taking action. 

UFC understands that Mr. Jackson is considering an emergency appeal, and UFC is also considering action to protect its rights and minimize damages regarding this matter. UFC 186 in Montreal, Canada will proceed as planned and UFC is currently evaluating its fight card options.

"

---End of Update---

Bellator, which claims Jackson still owes three fights as part of an exclusive six-fight deal, sought to prevent his return to the Octagon, saying the bout would irreparably damage the promotion by undermining its ability to hold fighters to exclusive contracts.

While Jackson's camp stated that Bellator had breached the terms of the contract by failing to submit information regarding Bellator 120's buyrates in writing, the judge sided with Bellator at this juncture.

It is worth noting that winning an injunction does not guarantee an outright victory. Bellator and Jackson may have a future court date, in which either side could emerge victorious. It is also possible that the two parties could settle their dispute out of court. 

Bellator issued a brief statement to the media via email earlier today: “We are pleased by the judge's ruling and look forward to having Rampage fighting for Bellator again soon.”

For more details regarding the nature of the dispute and in-depth analysis of the claims, check out Bleacher Report's coverage here and Luke Thomas' recent piece for MMAFighting.com.

Jackson and Bellator have been on bad terms for nearly a year now.

An ominous Instagram post last Summer became open flirting with the the UFC by Thanksgiving, which led to Jackson and the UFC tying the knot just before Christmas. Bellator, however, was quick to voice its opposition to the news and called its lawyers shortly after the deal was announced during the UFC Fight Night 58 broadcast.

Worth noting is that while this injunction scraps Jackson's return bout, it does not necessarily mean he will return to Bellator. Jackson and Bellator will meet in court for a full trial later this year, where a judge will decide where Jackson's immediate fighting future will take place.

Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for new details as they emerge.