UFC 190 winner 'Shogun' Rua interested in rematch with 'Rampage' Jackson

Quinton Jackson claims that Mauricio Rua “owes” him a rematch of their 2005 bout under the now-defunct PRIDE FC banner. “Shogun” says he is willing to oblige.

Jackson (36-11 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has suffered 11 losses to 10 different fighters in his career. But still to this day, none of those outcomes “haunts” Jackson quite like his first-round knockout loss against Rua (23-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC) in April 2005.

Jackson has made it clear several times over the years that he wants a second opportunity to compete against Rua after fighting injured in the first contest.

He called for a rematch days before Rua’s UFC 190 bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and after besting “Minotouro” by unanimous decision, Rua said he’s up for the task.

“‘Rampage’ a few days ago challenged me on Instagram; I would take the opportunity to accept the challenge,” Rua said at UFC 190’s post-fight press conference. “I will fight him anytime – any day, any time.”

It’s been more than a decade since their first clash under the now-defunct PRIDE banner, and still Jackson is pursuing a rematch.

The first meeting between Jackson and “Shogun” was a one-sided affair for the Brazilian. Rua landed cleaner, more significant strikes in the early portion of the fight before he trapped Jackson in the corner of the ring and unloaded a hellacious flurry of soccer kicks to the face to end the bout.

Jackson has not been stopped again by strikes in his 19 fights since he shared the PRIDE ring with Rua. He’d like a shot at revenge under the UFC banner, but there are several obstacles standing in the way of his desired matchup.

The most prominent issue is Jackson’s current contractual situation. The 37-year-old beat Fabio Maldonado via decision at UFC 186 in his first UFC fight in more than two years. Prior to that he was part of Bellator, which he claims breached a contract by not disclosing pay-per-view numbers from his Bellator 120 bout against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

Bellator, meanwhile, believes Jackson breached when he negotiated with the UFC and in December signed a contract with the industry-leading promotion.

Bellator won the first round of the legal fight when a judge ruled the Viacom-owned promotion had a reasonable chance of proving its claims in court and granted an injunction against Jackson. After winning a partial reversal, the ex-UFC champ then sought a dismissal in court.

Jackson remains under a general injunction after a judge ruled against a motion to dismiss. There is no timetable in place for a resolution and thus, Jackson’s next fight.

If Jackson is cleared to fight in the UFC in the coming months, though, it’s possible he could get his wish for the long-awaited rematch. Rua would likely relish the opportunity, as he is an impressive 5-1 in rematches during his career.

For more on UFC 190, check out the UFC Events section of the site.