Jason Jackson entered the 2024 calendar year with clarity. After the PFL bought Bellator MMA in late 2023, he found himself on the good side of the purchase, remaining in the now-late Bellator MMA to compete in the Bellator Champions Series in June of last year.
During the BCS, Jackson, who won against Ray Cooper III during PFL vs. Bellator in February of 2024 by way of second-round knockout (ground and pound shots) in only 23 seconds’ time, drew the assignment of Ramazan Kuramagomedov in the main event of the evening from Dublin, Ireland.
While Jason Jackson’s bid to defend the Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion proved unsuccessful, he’d soon turn his attention to the PFL SmartCage.
Looking Back at “The Ass-Kicking Machine,” Jason Jackson
While Jackson’s immediate attention is focused on the main event spot in PFL Nashville this Thursday night (internationally available on DAZN, United States only on ESPN+), today, we want to take a stroll down memory lane as we focus on the career of “The Ass-Kicking Machine.”
Jason Jackson was born on Oct. 30, 1990 in Spanish Town, Jamaica. By the time he was 12 years of age, he moved to the Sunshine State of Florida, where he attended Miramar High School. It was there that the seeds for competitive violence were planted in Jackson.
While enrolled at Miramar High, he competed as a member of the school’s wrestling program. In addition, Jason Jackson attended Miami Norland High School. In 2010, the then 19-year old “Ass-Kicking Machine” turned his attention to the world of MMA on the amateur circuit, going 4-1.
By 2012, Jackson was ready to make his first walk as a professional fighter in Ft. Lauderdale under the Fight Time promotional banner. He wasted little time in getting his first career win as a pro, needing only 55 seconds to finish off Jerome Buchanan.
Jason Jackson Drops Second Fight of Pro Career to Colby Covington Before TUF Eventually Comes Calling
For his second professional contest, Jason Jackson’s adversary on the other side of the cage was a man who would eventually become one of the more outspoken names in the sport of MMA. Jackson’s sophomore bout was against Colby Covington.
The second verse contained a few more sour notes than the first, with “Chaos” besting “The Ass-Kicking Machine” by way of unanimous decision after three rounds of action in Covington’s third career bout. Upon amassing a 4-2 record through his first six bouts, Jackson found himself cast on the 2015 season of The Ultimate Fighter television series.
On TUF, he emerged victorious from his first bout against Marcelo Alfaya (majority decision) before sustaining a first-round submission (rear-naked choke) at the hands of Mike Graves.
Jackson Wins a Pair of Championships But Suffers Another Setback Before LFA Championship Victory
Undeterred, Jason Jackson would bounce back and win the welterweight championship of Nebraska’s late Victory FC in February of 2016, as well as the similarly now-defunct Titan FC in September of 2016 by way of first-round knockout (punches) over Dhiego Lima before he earned a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. He found himself back at the TUF Gym for a July 25, 2017 fight versus Kyle Stewart.
In an unfortunate turn of events, he’d lose that fight upon suffering an injured ankle in the second round of a scheduled three, something that would sideline him for more than a year’s time before he turned his attention to an August 2018 fight vs. Jordan Larson in Sioux Falls, SD, finishing him with punches inside the opening round. He’d take some time away from Bellator to fight twice in the LFA, going 2-0 in that span.
The then 10-3 Jackson would find himself the winner of the LFA’s welterweight title in the summer of 2019, fighting exclusively in Bellator for the next five years.
Jackson Rises Through Ranks in Bellator MMA
All told, Jason Jackson would go 8-2 under the Bellator MMA promotional banner including a seven-fight winning streak. He’d find himself among the sport’s elite competitors at 170 lbs en route to a Bellator MMA Welterweight Championship in the final Bellator event to air on Showtime in November of 2023.
That late-autumn night in Chicago, he captured the division’s belt via third-round knockout against Yaroslav Amosov in the main event of the evening. As previously mentioned, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” stopped Ray Cooper III in February of 2024 before losing his belt to Kuramagomedov last summer.
Jason Jackson’s Submission Sets Up Semifinal Tilt Thursday Night
Upon the PFL World Tournament brackets being revealed earlier on this year, Jason Jackson was booked to square off against Andrey Koreshkov on opening night of the tournament. Jackson secured his 19th professional win by scoring a first-round submission due to a rear-naked choke of Andrey Koreshkov during round two of the main event.
The result confirmed Thad Jean’s opponent in the semifinal phase this week. Jean stopped Mukhamed Berkhamov in the opening round on the undercard. Thursday’s semifinal in Nashville looks like it’ll be a good one on paper. This is Jason Jackson’s 25th fight as a pro, compared to the 10th for Thad Jean.
Who will take the next step to the final in August? Tune in on Thursday and find out in the main event.
