As a fighter, it’s very common to step into the cage with injuries or weight-cut issues, but for Damon Jackson, a heavy heart outweighed any physical challenge.
UFC featherweight Damon Jackson, 34, is a highly experienced fighter who has had two separate stints with the UFC during his combined 22-4-1 MMA career.
Jackson faced his toughest challenge on Sept. 17, when he stepped into the octagon just days after his 37-year-old brother, Bradley, suddenly died.
A loss in the family is urgent reasoning for fighters to pull-out of fights, but Jackson said this was never an option.
“I was thinking about my brother,” he said.
“If somehow he could’ve told me he was going to pass, he would’ve definitely wanted me to continue to fight,” Jackson said.
Jackson faced off against Pat Sabatini, a highly promising featherweight who was riding a six-fight win streak.
The +170 underdog Jackson remained composed and pulled off a stunning first round finish in just over a minute via ko/tko, which earned him fight of the night honours along with a $50,000 bonus.
Once the referee pulled Jackson off Sabatini, he fell to his knees in tears, overcome with emotion. His family was seen in the crowd celebrating the bittersweet accomplishment together.
.@damonbjackson dedicated his #UFCVegas60 win to his brother, Bradley, who died last week. pic.twitter.com/tAhZyPld11
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 17, 2022
“I looked up and saw my mom, my wife and everybody jumping up and down celebrating. There was just so much pain going on with my family,” Jackson said.
“It was too much to hold back and I knew that it was gonna happen, but I never thought it was gonna hit me that hard,” he said.
The veteran fighter out of Fortis MMA made it a total of 19 career finishes during the one-sided victory.
Jackson says regardless of what goes on in his life, the sport means so much to him, that’s why he takes his career very seriously and stays consistent in training as well as his diet.
He also mentioned that although this scenario was the most extreme, it wasn’t the first time he opted to fight after personal events, considering he’s fought shortly after family loss before and even days after his wedding.
Jackson said the key to his victory was doing everything he could to suppress his emotions, including plugging his ears to avoid hearing the TV broadcast describing what had happened with his brother, during his warmup and walkout.
“I hadn’t talked to my mom the whole time. I kind of felt selfish for doing that, but I knew that was the best route for me to get the win,” Jackson said.
“I had to do that all week. I never wanted to process it, I never wanted to talk to my parents, I didn’t wanna talk to anyone in my family that whole week,” he said.
Jackson said what hurt him most was that he and his late brother had just been talking about how this fight was a perfect gateway to a high ranked opponent and his brother had planned on coming with him because he wanted to be in Las Vegas.
Instead of carrying on in life and letting this experience fade away into memory, Jackson said he learned from the death of his brother that nothing can be taken for granted and he’s prioritized spending all the time he can with his family.
With all doubts removed from Jackson’s ability since he’s returned to the UFC, he is now set to face a very tough opponent in Dan Ige, a fighter who’s never been finished before and is looking to regain momentum in the featherweight title picture.
Jackson said that as a fighter who’s always looking for the finish, he recognizes the toughness of Ige and the caliber of the fighters he’s faced, but is still confident that he’s just another opponent.
Now looking to extend his four-fight win-streak, he said the pressure he brings could overwhelm his opponents and referred to the recent shocking title upsets as an example.
“He’s tough as hell and he’s great but everybody’s beatable,” Jackson said.
“The last few months of UFC have really shown that to a lot of people. The champs that you think are unbeatable, have been getting finished and getting finished in bad ways,” he said.
“Action” Jackson, a nickname inspired by his brother, faces Ige on Jan. 14 in Las Vegas, as he looks to carry on his brother’s legacy and make his way to the top of the featherweight food chain.