Life in the UFC is much better the second time around for Damon Jackson. Since rejoining the organisation, he’s won four of his last five fights. His three-fight win streak has drawn him against Pat Sabatini at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song, who is on his own impressive winning run.
Drawing Sabatini didn’t come as much of a surprise to Jackson. He expected to fight him at some point, given their win streaks. Jackson is a considerable underdog (+162), but he warned fans not to judge him solely on his last performance. Jackson has been critical of that showing, attributing it in part to a bad weight cut which took a lot out of him. He’s learned from that and wants to deliver an exciting performance with a stoppage victory.
Looking Ahead
Damon Jackson isn’t looking past Pat Sabatini at all. In fact, he’s motivated by fighting someone who “is a beast on the ground”. But, a win over Sabbatini, especially a stoppage, should earn him a matchup with a ranked opponent. For Jackson, that would ideally happen at UFC 282 on December 10th.
Jackson would also love to fight in Dallas in the future due to his connection to the city. Jackson grew up going to Mavericks and Stars games, and fighting there would give his kids the chance to see him fight as well – something that has not yet happened. The UFC went to Dallas for UFC 277, but Jackson was already booked for this event. Next time he will make sure he’s on that card.
Entertaining Fights
It is clear that Jackson wants to put on an exciting fight. He said that he is always looking for a finish and doesn’t “want to be one of those boring wrestlers”, despite his wrestling base being one of his strongest attributes. Damon also shared his thoughts on rising superstar Paddy the Baddy and his showmanship outside the cage:
“We are entertainers at the end of the day…(but) you got to make sure you understand that whatever you say you have to go out and do. Paddy… he’s a little crazy right now, but he’s young too, and he has that really good energy that’s hard to find…either he’s going to get put in his place, and someone’s gonna check him, or he’s going to keep doing what he does, and he’ll be a champion”.
Be sure to check out Jackson’s full interview with Ben Evans:
Interview With Damon Jackson
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
