‘Rampage’ Jackson headed back to UFC?

Former UFC light heavyweight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson appeared on the Ultimate Fighting Championship broadcast of a live event in Brazil on Saturday night to announced he had signed a deal to return to the organization.

His next fight could take place in a courtroom, however.

Jackson left the UFC after his contract expired following a third straight loss in January 2013. He signed with Bellator MMA, which at the time was headed by Bjorn Rebney, and went 3-0 in the organization.

Rebney, a friend of Jackson, was fired and replaced by Scott Coker. Jackson claims Bellator failed to honor his contract and he is free to sign elsewhere.

Coker, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, immediately took to social media after Jackson’s appearance on the UFC broadcast.

“Let us be clear that Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson is under an exclusive contract with Bellator MMA,” Coker posted on Twitter. “We will protect our contractual rights.”

Jackson, 36, last competed in May when he won a unanimous decision over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

A message posted on Jackson’s website explained his belief that he is no longer contractually obligated to fight for Bellator.

The statement cited multiple breaches of his deal and five months of “grueling negotiations and gray-area contract talks” with Bellator and parent-company Viacom. He said there was a 45-day window in his deal to satisfy any dispute and that Bellator failed to fulfill his requests and did not respond during that time period, nullifying his deal

“I went to the UFC and we put a deal together that worked out for both of us,” he said in the statement. “I’m excited to be here. The UFC had nothing to do with me leaving Bellator. I was done with Bellator when I made the final call and they still didn’t do what they had to do contractually. I wish those guys the best but I’m where I belong.”

He said he hopes to fight for the UFC in early 2015.

■ CRUZ HURT AGAIN — Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will be out of action for an extended time.

Cruz announced the news on his Facebook page Monday.

“It is with great sadness (I) report I have experienced another ACL injury. This time it’s in the right knee, opposite side of my first and second ACL injuries,” Cruz wrote. “Leading up to my last fight in September and after, I have practiced a very careful and methodical training and diet regime to keep my body healthy. Unfortunately, this is beyond my understanding and control. I don’t have a timetable for my return but trust and know I will pour my heart and soul into returning to the Octagon.”

Cruz was stripped of his belt last year in the midst of three years of inactivity because of the two surgeries on his left knee followed by a groin injury.

He returned in September 2014 and knocked out Takeya Mizugaki in 61 seconds to extend his winning streak to 11 fights.

The news could have opened the door for Raphael Assuncao to be the next challenger for T.J. Dillashaw’s bantamweight title, but Assuncao also revealed he was injured Monday.

“I am devastated 2 inform that my title shot hopes will be even further delayed due 2 broken ankle suffered in training,” he posted on Twitter. “I am sorry once again.”

Assuncao is likely to be sidelined between eight and 10 weeks.

Former champion Renan Barao, who earned a third-round submission win over Mitch Gagnon on a card in Brazil on Saturday, is now the most logical choice to fight Dillashaw next.

Dillashaw took the belt from Barao in May. Barao was slated to get a rematch in August, but missed weight and was pulled from the bout.

He has won two straight fights since then.

■ FANTASY MMA LAUNCHED — Fantasy sports site DraftKings announced Tuesday it will launch Daily Fantasy MMA.

Players will draft a roster of five fighters for an event under the constriction of a salary cap and be awarded points based on actions that take place during fights, such as significant strikes, takedowns and knockdowns.

Bonus points will be awarded for finishes based on the round in which they occur.

“DraftKings is committed to creating programs to engage new fans in untapped sports markets,” said Paul Liberman, CMO and co-founder of DraftKings. “MMA is the perfect combination of action and scoring, making it a great opportunity to bring it into the daily fantasy family of games.”

The company also announced a marketing partnership with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. As part of the launch of the fantasy MMA product, the DraftKings is giving away a trip to UFC 183 to meet Jones.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.