'Rampage' on Bellator 192 loss: Chael Sonnen fought smart, but also 'like a bitch'

Quinton Jackson experienced consecutive losses for the first time in his Bellator career on Saturday when he fell short to Chael Sonnen in the opening round of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix.

Jackson (37-13 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Sonnen (30-15-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 192, which took place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and aired on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie. His early exit from the eight-man heavyweight tournament brings questions about his future, but “Rampage” is adamant he’s not going anywhere.

Although Sonnen mixed in some solid strikes over the course of the three-round contest, his major advantage against Jackson came on the ground.

Much to the dismay of the former UFC light heavyweight champion, Bellator matched up “Rampage” with a wrestling-based opponent, and despite a 31-pound weight advantage, he couldn’t thwart Sonnen’s top-heavy game.

Jackson gave Sonnen a mix of praise and criticism post-fight. He issued a statement on social media reacting to his loss and promised that at 39, his career is not over (via Twitter):

After starting his Bellator tenure with four-straight wins, Jackson has dropped his past two fights – to Sonnen and Muhammed Lawal, both at heavyweight.

He said pre-fight that he was determined to win the tournament and claim the vacant Bellator heavyweight belt, but now Jackson is on his first skid since 2013.

For complete coverage of Bellator 192, check out the MMA Events section of the site.