Damon Jackson

Damon Jackson (born August 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, Jackson competed for Bellator MMA and King of the Cage and he was the former Legacy Fighting Alliance Interim Featherweight Champion.

Background
Born in Oklahoma, Jackson began wrestling from a young age and was talented. In high school, Jackson also competed in baseball and ran cross-country and track. Jackson was a state runner-up before continuing his career at Missouri Valley College where he was an All-American and had a fifth-place finish at the national tournament in 2012. Shortly after, Jackson began pursuing mixed martial arts.

Early career
Jackson held an amateur MMA record of 6–1 before making his professional debut September 2012, winning via TKO in the first round. He would go on to win his next two bouts, both via submission.

Bellator MMA
Jackson debuted for Bellator on January 24, 2013, at Bellator 86 against Zac Church. Jackson won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.

On June 19, 2013, Jackson defeated Keith Miner via TKO due to strikes in the first round at Bellator 96, improving his record to 6–0.

Legacy Fighting Championship
In October 2013, Jackson fought and defeated Javier Obregon by submission in the second round at Legacy FC 24.

Jackson would win his next bout via rear-naked choke submission at Legacy FC 28 against Hunter Tucker on February 21, 2014.

Jackson then faced WEC and UFC veteran Leonard Garcia for the Legacy FC featherweight championship at Legacy FC 33 on July 18, 2014. Jackson won the fight via submission in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Stepping in as a late replacement for an injured Justin Edwards, Jackson faced Yancy Medeiros at UFC 177 on August 30, 2014. Jackson lost the fight via submission in the second round, suffering his first loss of his career.

Jackson faced Rony Jason on May 30, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 67. He lost the fight via triangle choke submission in the first round. On June 18, 2015, it was announced that Jason tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, which is a banned diuretic, therefore his submission victory against Jackson was overturned and he received a nine-month suspension.

Jackson faced Levan Makashvili on January 30, 2016, at UFC on Fox 18. The bout was ruled a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-27) after Makashvili was deducted one point in the third round due to an illegal knee and eye poke.

Legacy Fighting Alliance/PFL
After going 6–1 fighting under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) banner, Jackson won the Featherweight Interim Legacy Fighting Alliance championship on August 10, 2018, against Nate Jennerman at Legacy Fighting Alliance 47 via knockout in round two.

He would sign with PFL to face Movlid Khaybulaev on May 23, 2019, at PFL 2, getting knocked out with a flying knee 10 seconds into the bout.

After the loss, Jackson returned to the LFA at LFA 83, submitting Mauro Chaulet in the first round via rear-naked choke.

Return to UFC
Jackson returned to UFC to face Mirsad Bektić, replacing Luiz Eduardo Garagorri on September 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 178. He won the fight via a submission in round three. This win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Jackson faced Ilia Topuria on December 5, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 19. He lost the fight via knockout in round one.

Jackson was scheduled to face T.J. Laramie on May 1, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 188. However in late March, Laramie pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by Luke Sanders. In turn, Jackson withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Felipe Colares who also lost his original opponent at the event.

Jackson faced Charles Rosa on October 9, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 194. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Jackson was scheduled to face Joshua Culibao on March 12, 2022 UFC Fight Night 203. However, Culibao was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Kamuela Kirk. Jackson won the fight via an arm triangle submission in round two.

Jackson was scheduled to face Darrick Minner on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207. However, for undisclosed reasons, Minner was pulled from the event and he was replaced by newcomer Daniel Argueta. Jackson won the bout via unanimous decision.

Jackson faced Pat Sabatini on September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 210. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Jackson faced Dan Ige January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 217. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Jackson faced Billy Quarantillo on August 5, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 226. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Jackson faced Alexander Hernandez on April 6, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 240. At the weigh-ins, Hernandez weighed in at 147.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Hernandez was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Jackson. Jackson won the bout by split decision.

Jackson is scheduled to face Chepe Mariscal on August 10, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 242.

Personal life
Jackson is married and has four daughters.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (Two times)vs. Mirsad Bektić and Pat Sabatini
 * Legacy Fighting Championship
 * Legacy FC Featherweight Championship
 * Legacy Fighting Alliance
 * Interim LFA Featherweight Championship
 * MMAjunkie.com
 * 2020 September Submission of the Month vs. Mirsad Bektić