Jason Jackson bided his time waiting for the chance to show the world that he belonged among the best welterweights in the sport. He finally proved it with a stunning third-round stoppage against previously undefeated Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov this past November. He followed up that performance with a lopsided finished of former PFL champion Ray Cooper III at the inaugural PFL vs.
Bellator event back in February. Now, as he approaches his upcoming title defense against Ramazan Kuramagomedov on Saturday at Bellator Dublin , Jackson hopes to show once again that he’s a vastly different fighter than the one many fans first discovered during his appearances on The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White ’s Contender Series . “It’s growth, experience — nothing beats experience,” Jackson told MMA Fighting.
“That’s not something you’re born with. It’s something that you have to get in there and earn and gain. “I’m nothing like I was on the Contender Series.
I learned to be patient. I had plenty of setbacks to get to where I am right now as champion. I’m grateful for all those days that mold me into the man I am inside and outside the cage.
I’m blessed and I’m thankful.” The appearances on The Ultimate Fighter and Contender Series may have gotten his name out there, but neither went Jackson’s way. He was eliminated from the reality show competition after falling to Michael Graves in a quarterfinal matchup and then suffered a gruesome ankle injury tha.
