Bellator MMA Succeeds in Enjoining Jackson from Competing at UFC 186

Quinton Jackson not allowed to compete says court.

The news broke earlier via MMAFighting.com that the New Jersey Superior Court in Burlington County sided with Bellator MMA and barred Quinton "Rampage" Jackson from competing at the event scheduled to take place later this month at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Jackson who had left Bellator early last year as he was unhappy with his treatment by Bellator and Viacom late last year.  However, he still had several fights on his contract, which the judge ruled was a breach due to the fact that he failed to perform the contract and its terms.

Jackson was supposed to be the co-main event of the night which will put Demetrious Johnson's title on the line against flyweight sensation Kyoji Horiguchi. This throws the whole card in disarray, and also leave his opponent Fabio Maldonado without a dance partner for the night.

The UFC still has not commented on this decision, but the promotion is almost certain to have a backup plan as this ruling was a foreseeable possibility.  Sean Shelby and Joe Silva, the UFC matchmakers, will surely be losing some sleep tonight with three weeks to go before the scheduled event.

What will also be interesting to see is whether Maldonado will still be in the co-main event or whether the card's order will be rearranged, or possibly whether the fight itself will be scrapped completely (a devastating consequence for fighters who have put the time and effort needed for a successful camp).

The UFC will surely have something to say in the next couple days and I will surely try to keep you abreast of all the details that will transpire.

If you like what you read, feel free to follow me on twitter @mmalegal2016, google+ , and subscribe to the blog.