At 6-0, you may not know who Damon Jackson is but if he has his way, the world soon will. Undefeated as a professional MMA prospect, Jackson has quietly been making a name for himself in the North Texas fight scene behind an ever-growing list of impressive victories, including two inside the Bellator cage.
A former All-American wrestler at Missouri Valley College, Jackson, who hails from the wrestling hot-bed of Durant Oklahoma, found his desire to compete the driving force in making the transition to MMA following his collegiate career. In order to accomplish this arduous feat Jackson packed up his bags, his wife and daughter, and relocated to Dallas, Texas, in order to get the proper training one requires when they want to make a living cage fighting.
Jackson eventually found a home base at Dallas’ Octagon MMA. A hotbed of talent that is accustomed to seeing its fighters enjoy success in the cage, including UFC rookie Sean Spencer. With a base in wrestling, and training partners that routinely put him through a meat grinder in practice, Jackson has seen his stock rise considerably along with an increased comfort in fighting. All of which will serve him well this Friday when he enters the cage yet again on the main card portion of Legacy Fighting Championship 24 taking place at the Allen Events Center in Allen, Texas (9:00 PM CST, AXS TV). Jackson will face the challenges of one Javier Obregon who happens to be the South Texas Fighting Championship bantamweight champion.
It’s no easy assignment for Jackson who acknowledges that Obregon is going to be a tough outing despite not knowing that much about his opponent.
“I honestly just saw some stuff online but I’ve never seen him,” explains Jackson. “I see online that he has decent wrestling and he’s got a brawler type style where he is going to go out there and throw heavy hands. I think that he’s a strong wrestler, but I have better wrestling. He’s definitely got some crazy hands so I’ll be looking out for that and hoping to slow that down a lot.”
Jackson is confident that both his collegiate experience and fight experience will help carry him throughout the fight. He is also quick to proclaim that this training camp is one of the best he has had to date.
“You have [Octagon MMA head coach Sayif Saud] here who knows how to push you and knows how to get the most out of you,” states Jackson. “We had a lot of guys coming up to fight and I’ve been helping them prepare for their fights. I feel like right now I’m peaking and I’m ready to go. I’m 100% and no injuries so I feel great honestly.”
Though a victory against Obregon is tough endeavor, Jackson has high hopes that he will emerge victorious and close out 2013 with an unblemished record. His eyes are set squarely on making it to the bright lights of the UFC’s Octagon and staying unbeaten against tough opposition is the quickest way to get noticed by Dana White and company.
“I would love to finish the year out 8-0 and really go through these next two opponents and start looking for something big,” Jackson says. “I want to fight the best people outside the UFC so I can make it there as fast as possible.”
As for taking a fight in his adoptive hometown of Dallas (Allen is a suburb), Jackson is excited to have a partisan crowd behind him.
“I appreciate everything from the fans,” explains Jackson. “Without the fans we have nothing to compete for. It’s awesome when you go out and hear everyone scream and I appreciate the fan support.”
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