Never Tell Jason Jackson the Odds

Jason Jackson climbed the Bellator MMA welterweight mountain and did so while defying the odds. He took on the previously undefeated and heavily favored Yaroslav Amosov at the final Bellator event in history and scored a third-round technical knockout to win his first major championship.

Once the Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator, Jackson was one of a number of top-flight competitors to cross over. He beat longtime PFL staple Ray Cooper III in his organizational debut, then put his Bellator title on the line against Ramazan Kuramagomedov. Ultimately, Jackson wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against the undefeated American Top Team-trained Russian.

With plans for the 2025 PFL World Tournament made official and Jackson entered into the welterweight draw, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” has his sights set on a run at another championship. Jackson has not fought since he lost to Kuramagomedov in June but put his time away from competition to good use in the gym.

“I’m patient, and I’ve been leveling up a lot since that little break, just learning how to stay humble, quiet and work in silence,” he told Sherdog.com. “Everything in the darkness must come out in light, and I work quiet in the dark.”

Jackson felt wronged by the decision against Kuramagomedov, and the Kill Cliff Fight Club rep vows to show up as a new and improved version of himself in 2025.

“I felt like I didn’t lose it. I felt like they took it off of me,” he said. “If I can get in there, mix it up and eliminate a lot of these guys and win the whole damn thing, it would be a blessed year for me. Adversity is something that I strive under. They stack it up, and I knock them down. The odds are stacked against me. I need to get back to where I was, competing for the world title. No matter what it takes, I’m willing and able to do it.”

The 34-year-old Jackson still maintains a day job as part of the tree service industry in Florida and sees the PFL tournament as another opportunity to add to his story. Now that his name has been thrown into the 170-pound hat, he plans to walk out with his hand raised.

“I want them all,” Jackson said. “I’ve never done the tournament style, so I’m looking forward to it because it motivates me to see all the other competitors that want it and the adversity they’ll have to go through. I’m winning it. As long as I’m in it, I’m winning it.”

The PFL World Tournament affords Jackson the chance to fight multiple times this year and potentially net the $500,000 grand prize, along with a title belt and the opportunity to control his own destiny. It all means something to him.

“Getting three fights, getting the championship and getting the money—I want everything that comes with it,” he said. “If I get the title, I’ll call my shot.”