De'Alonzio Jackson

De'Alonzio Jackson (born 31 October 1988), known as DJ Jackson, is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist based in Thailand. He is a multiple Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champions in IBJJF, ADCC, Pan American, Brazilian National and COPA de Bangkok. Jackson is the first African-American world Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion.

Background
Jackson was born on 31 October 1988 in Maryland. He started sport with wrestling at DeMatha Catholic High School.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu career
When DJ Jackson started practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu on the Team Lloyd Irvin, he immediately caught the attention of his coach, Lloyd Irvin. He entered the competition very soon at the request of his coach. In a short time, he shone in prestigious competitions and eliminated all of his opponents. His high level of athleticism earned him a black belt in 2012 in less than four years.

Mixed martial arts career
While practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Jackson decided to practice and compete in mixed martial arts. He fought four times between 2015 and 2016, which resulted in four victories, including two submissions.

Coaching career
Since 2019, Jackson has been an official Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts coach in Thailand. Under his leadership, his students, including Stamp Fairtex, Arash Mardani, Reza Goodary and Mark Abelardo, have won several international medals in important competitions including the Siam Cup BJJ and COPA de Bangkok.

Legal issues
In 2008, while attending college, Jackson was charged with third-degree sexual assault of a 16-year-old and supplying alcohol to a minor. He pleaded guilty to serious assault and had to pay a fine.

During his time coaching in Thailand, Jackson was alleged to have stolen over 500,000 THB (over US$13,000) from multiple individuals. One case involved Jackson using his authority to extort 100,000 THB from a young MMA fighter. Jackson fled to the United States with his 2-year-old son a week before he was supposed to repay the stolen money. Jackson responded by calling the allegations "100% false" and that his last gym of employment, Southside MMA, had refused to pay several fees for him, as well refusing to provide him with a work visa. He also claimed the MMA fighter who he allegedly extorted 100,000 THB "handed [him the money] after his first trip in Thailand as he didn't have a bank account." In his response, Jackson also claimed that he didn't know the actual age of the victim in his sexual assault case he "assumed she was over 18 since almost everyone in the bar was from the college or over 21-year-old residents of the city."

World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship

 * 2015 California, -79.5 kg Black belt, No-Gi
 * 2013 California, -79.5 kg Black belt, No-Gi
 * 2012 California, -79.5 kg Black belt, No-Gi

Pan-American No-Gi Championship

 * 2012 California, -98 kg Black belt, No-Gi

COPA de Bangkok

 * 2019 Bangkok, -82.3 kg Black belt, No-Gi
 * 2019 Bangkok, -85 kg Black belt, Gi
 * 2019 Bangkok, Open weight Black belt, No-Gi
 * 2019 Bangkok, Open weight Black belt, Gi