Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will not be participating at UFC 186 after he was slapped with a court injunction by Bellator MMA.
Bellator, a rival promoter of UFC, argued that Jackson had been in violation of his contract by re-signing with the UFC, based on a report by ESPN.
Yahoo reported that Rampage was supposed to fight Fabio Maldonado in the co-main event at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 25, 2015 until he was prevented by the New Jersey court. With the Jackson-Maldonado match compromised, flyweight Demetrious Johnson will fight Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event, while the Michael Bising versus CB Dolloway middleweight match will become the co-main event card. MMA Junkie reported that Shane Campbell versus John Makdessi and Thomas Almedia versus Yves Jabouin will also be included in the main card list on April 25.
Jackson and his representatives stated that they will appeal the court order. However, the UFC immediately looked for a suitable replacement, just in case the Jackson camp will not be able to lift the injunction in time. UFC did not mention that the Jackson-Maldonado match will automatically be reinstated if Jackson's appeal is successful.
Now, Octagon debutant Steve Bosse, 33, will replace Jackson to face Maldonado in the light heavyweight division. Bosse is a former hockey player who played as an enforcer in the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey. He became a professional mixed martial arts fighter in 2007. He won 10 out of his 11 fights, winning the last eight. Some of his notable wins included matches against Houston Alexander, Wes Sims and Marvin Eastman. He stands 5'11" and weighs 202 pounds. Bosse won eight fights via TKO, one fight by decision and another by submission.
He was set to debut in the UFC in April 2014 but withdrew due to a shoulder injury. MMA Mania reported that Bosse has not competed in almost two years, or since May 11, 2013, but his 10-1 record is impressive enough to make him a viable contender against Maldonado. "The Boss" might score a huge upset against the Brazilian.
On the other hand, Fabio Maldonado, 33, has a 22-7 record and is ranked No. 13 in the light heavyweight division of the UFC. Sherdog reported that Maldonado won four of his last five fights. He previously defeated Hans Stringer at UFC 179 in the second round. Maldonado is 35 years old, stands 6'1" and weighs 205 pounds. He won 13 of his fights via TKO, six via decision and three via submission.