Quinton Jackson's advice to young fighters? 'Go to some show where they're happy'

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Few people have experienced the range of wild highs and lows in the mixed martial arts business like Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

The Memphis native, who is just days away from his 38th birthday, is one of the dwindling ranks of competitors who fought before the Unified Rules days and is still headlining major events.

Jackson made his name during the memorable heyday of PRIDE and experienced the dizzying ride of holding a UFC title during the heights of the first Zuffa boom period. On the flip side, he's been in legal trouble and gotten embroiled in lawsuits over his contracts.

And as he gets ready to make his return to the cage for his first fight in 14 months, where he'll meet Satoshi Ishii in the main event of Bellator 157 on June 24, Jackson says that having fought all over the world in many promotions, if a fighter came up to him and asked which promotion he or she should fight in, he wouldn't steer them in one direction or another.

"I would say, whatever makes them happy," Jackson said. "There's a lot of shows out there. UFC, Bellator, OneFC, World Series, there's a lot of different shows. I would say, go to the one that you think is going to treat you the best, that's best for you. That would be my advice."

For his part, the former UFC light heavyweight champion says he's happy as he starts his latest stint with Bellator.

"I've pretty much fought in all the big shows and I'm happy here in Bellator," Jackson said. "Hopefully they'll go to some show where they're happy."