UFC vet, and longtime veteran of MMA in general Jordan Mein returned to action Friday at Bellator 242. The Canadian was making his first appearance since 2018, after dealing with a nasty knee injury that saw his meniscus removed entirely. He was also making his promotional debut, in the co-main event of the evening. Welcoming him to the Bellator cage was Jason Jackson.
The welterweight fight had Mein heading in on a two-fight win streak from back in his UFC days. Jackson entered the night off a win over another UFC veteran, Kiichi Kunimoto.
Mein went right after Jason Jackson off the opening bell, looking light on his feet and showing a lot of different looks. He began attacking with leg kicks, while Jackson used his jab and left hook to create some distance — plus some kicks of his own.
A couple of left hands landed for Mein; later, he dropped for a single leg takedown, but released it when it was clear he couldn’t land it. In the final minute, Jackson landed an overhand right, and had Mein’s back to the fence a little.
Round two had Jackson finding his distance early, backing Mein up. A good start for Jackson, which eventually had Mein think takedown. Yet after a solid effort, he couldn’t get Jackson to the canvas. Demoralizing, to say the least. As the round progressed, he found himself under fire, eating shots to the body and head, pushed back to the fence repeatedly by Jackson’s attack. Mein was too easy to hit, moving straight back rather than circling to safety. Jackson would put a little emphasis on things, landing a late takedown to finish the round.
Jackson went to the body early in round three, and launched a flying knee as well. Mein was likely in need of a finish in this round, but whether he had enough left in the tank to pull it off was the question. Jackson continued pressing, landing a calf kick; Mein shot for a takedown, but Jackson stuffed it, pulling his leg free while Mein desperately clung to the attempt. Jackson’s kicks were adding up. A right hand then knocked Mein down (he may have been a bit off-balance); Jackson let him up, and Mein went on the attack. Mein would then take the back standing, and try to wrench his opponent down. But when they did hit the mat, it was Jackson on top in guard. With only a minute remaining, Mein had little more than a prayer.
Official Result: Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
