Welterweight Jason Jackson has a huge assignment in the Bellator 253 co-main event.
The Sanford MMA fighter has been paired up with a former UFC champion, a fight that was booked on just a couple of week’s notice. Yet despite Benson Henderson no doubt being the biggest opponent of his career, Jackson (12-4) said during the Bellator 253 media day that it’s “just another fight. Ready to go, train the same way, train harder and just ready to go show everybody that, you know, I’m saying doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. It’s is going to be the same result, same fashion.”
The results have been there in his past two outings, with unanimous decision wins over Kiichi Kunimoto and Jordan Mein, both UFC veterans. With the fight with Henderson booked only recently, however, there is of course the question of preparation.
Except, at least for Jackson, it really isn’t a question. “I haven’t stopped training since the Jordan Mein fight,” he revealed. That came back in July. “I went right back into the gym. I’m a guy who lives in and out of the gym. If I’m not training, I’m working outside the gym. I’m always doing something physical, always being active. So it’s like I’m training daily.”
Jackson had early career fights against Dhiego Lima (who he beat) and Colby Covington (who he did not). He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter. Yet somehow, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” has arguably been overlooked.
“I’m kind of I’m used to it now. So I use it as something to put more fuel inside of me,” Jackson said on that front. “Like alright, I’m being overlooked. Wrong guy, watch. Definitely, yes [I’ve been overlooked], to answer your question.”
Bellator 253 takes place Thursday, November 20 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Unvasville, CT. The main card airs live on CBS Sports Network.
