Video: Returning Quinton Jackson on UFC President Dana White: 'We haven't even spoke'

Quinton Jackson said he’s still a little disappointed about how his first UFC stint came to an end, but “Rampage” said there are no hard feelings, including with UFC President Dana White.

On Saturday the UFC announced the re-signing of the former light heavyweight champion, who left the UFC in early 2013 and subsequently went 3-0 with rival Bellator MMA.

However, while the UFC is “optimistic and confident” Jackson (35-11 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is in a position to be signed, Bellator President Scott Coker told MMAjunkie via text message, “Sometimes you have to go to court to protect your rights!”

During a FOX Sports 1 interview with Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 58 coverage, Jackson said Bellator didn’t honor his contract. It’s a reason he recently hinted at a desired UFC return, which ultimately opened the lines of communication and led to his new deal.

But prior to this past year’s release, Jackson, who held the UFC’s 205-pound title form 2007-2008, was often less than complimentary of the UFC. A three-fight skid, which included a title loss to Jon Jones and subsequent decisions defeats to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeira, ultimately signaled the end of a 12-fight UFC run and resulted in his move to Bellator.

Despite the previous bad blood, how’s Jackson’s relationship with White now? Guest analyst Gilbert Melendez asked him during Saturday’s interview.

“Me and Dana White, we haven’t even spoke,” said the 36-year-old, who’s targeting an early-2015 return. “We was always cool, honestly. It was just business. I didn’t like the way the UFC kind of painted the picture like I retired and like I got cut from the UFC, but I didn’t take it personal.

“I don’t take business personal most of the time. I never had any bad blood with Dana. I just wish things were a little bit different. But you know how things go.”

The feelings appear mutual, at least for now. Following the UFC’s announcement of the Jackson re-signing, White defaulted to a familiar tweet:

White the UFC has already laid out an impressive early-2015 fight schedule with some blockbuster fights, it’s hard to say how much Jackson, who’s ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie light heavyweight rankings, still has left in the tank. It’s also hard to tell if he can still be the type of draw he was during his highly touted UFC arrival in 2007.

However, while motivation seemed to be a past question mark, “Rampage” said it won’t be an issue in his second UFC stint, assuming a contract dispute with Bellator doesn’t tie him up.

“I’ve been missing the training camps and missing getting out there,” he said. “I’ve only got a few more years left in me. I want to put on some exciting fights.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 58, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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MMAjunkie’s Ben Fowlkes discusses “Rampage’s” return to the UFC:

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