VIDEO | Rampage Jackson and Ryan Bader nearly brawl at Bellator 226

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Ryan Bader nearly got into a brawl following a disappointing end to Saturday night’s Bellator 226 event.

With the Bellator heavyweight championship on the line, Bader and Cheick Kongo fought to a No Contest after Bader accidentally poked Kongo in the eye and the doctor stopped the fight when he couldn’t see. However, there was some controversy as many viewers and even the commentators believed it was a punch and not an eye poke that led to the damage in Kongo’s eye.

Bader said in his post-fight interview with Bellator commentator “Big” John McCarthy that he didn’t believe there was actually an eye poke, and it apparently drew the ire of “Rampage,” who is a cornerman and teammate of Kongo.

Check out the video below of what happened after the No Contest decision was read.

https://twitter.com/imshannontho/status/1170559354644381699?s=21

“Rampage” and Bader previously fought back at UFC 144 in 2012, with Bader taking home a unanimous decision after Jackson badly missed weight for the fight. Jackson said that he was injured leading up to the bout, and he criticized Bader’s wrestling-heavy tactics to take home the victory that night. He has wanted to get a rematch for a long time.

Jackson hasn’t fought since last September, when he knocked out Wanderlei Silva in the pair’s fourth fight. Overall, he has a 5-2 record in the Bellator cage. By starting this near-brawl with Bader, it appears that Jackson is hoping to angle for a rematch with “Darth.”

It’s still possible that Bellator books a rematch between Bader and Kongo considering how the fight between these two ended. However, Bader appeared to be dominating the majority of the fight up until the end, and it’s possible that Bellator brass will deem it as a win for Bader and move on to another matchup.

Do you think we will see a rematch between Ryan Bader and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson?