Rampage Jackson will be taking on King Mo Lawal in the co-main event of Bellator’s inaugural PPV on May 17th according to a Bellator press release. Bellator also announced that the PPV would be emanating from the Memphis area where Jackson originally grew up.
Via press release:
A native of South Memphis, Rampage returns to The River City for the first time in fifteen years to battle King Mo in the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals. Since joining Bellator in 2013, Rampage has delivered two highlight reel knockouts, and will face his toughest test in Bellator to date when he battles King Mo from The Landers Center on Saturday, May 17th live on Pay-Per-View.
“I’ve been wanting to come back to Memphis for the last decade, and I’m finally getting that chance to fight in one of the biggest fights of my career for Bellator,” Jackson said. “After being part of the Bellator family for a while now, I feel like the old Rampage, and that’s not a good thing for Mo. I’m back, I’m a monster, and I’m looking to put on another entertaining fight for all my fans on May 17th.”
“When it comes down to it, this is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time, and I’m going to be able to beat his ass in his hometown, and everyone is going to respect me,” Lawal said. “Rampage is just a stepping stone in my way to get that title shot again and get that belt. It’s all I want, and after I beat Rampage, I’m going for that belt, simple as that.”
“We now have two fights on this card that are absolute fireworks,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Like I said before, we have Alvarez and Chandler headlining a card that will end the best trilogy ever in MMA, and now we’ve added two more superstars to the mix with Rampage and King Mo. May 17th is going to be an absolutely huge night for Bellator, live on Pay-Per-View.”
Payout Perspective:
It was only a formality for Rampage/King Mo to be set based on their run-in at Bellator 110. As noted before, these two will be able to do a hefty amount of the promotion for the PPV. In fact, it would not be surprising if these two end up on some sort of cross-promotion on TNA’s Impact Wrestling in the coming weeks as a way to get the word out on the Bellator event. You may recall the UFC planned an event for Rampage in Memphis to fight Rashad Evans but that fell through due to Jackson’s commitment to the movie, “The ‘A’ Team.” His return home should equate to good attendance which should bring out the atmosphere on the PPV.
Any indication of price point for the PPV. I would hope $19.95, but am guessing it will be higher.