After fighting with broken toe, Damon Jackson has no regrets despite UFC release

Damon Jackson

Damon Jackson knew full well what was on the line when he stepped into the cage on Jan. 30. He gambled, and he lost. And he’d do it all over again.

“There’s a million guys that want your spot, so you pull out of a fight, and it doesn’t look good to the rest of the people,” Jackson told MMAjunkie. “I don’t want that to be the reason I get cut. I would rather go out there and have a chance to prove myself and do it that way than to make a bad impression and get cut like that.”

The 27-year-old Jackson (9-1-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) came to the UFC in 2014 as an undefeated featherweight prospect on the strength of a submission win over Leonard Garcia. With less than two years of professional experience to his name, Jackson now admits it was probably too soon, but he had the same dreams of nearly every fighter who heads to the gym and straps on a pair of four-ounce gloves.

“I felt like my career was definitely rushed,” Jackson said. “I feel like I definitely have the skill, but the experience level, I’m lacking in that because I haven’t’ had that many fights, and I haven’t been training that long.”

Jackson admits UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby encouraged him to keep winning fights at the regional level to build up that experience. But when a short-notice opportunity arose, “The Leech” was willing to take the leap.

It backfired with a submission loss to Yancy Medeiros in a fight Jackson took on a little more than one week’s notice.

Jackson returned to the octagon nine months later, traveling to hostile territory to meet “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” winner Rony Jason. The Brazilian won the fight via submission, though the result was later overturned when Jason tested positive for a diuretic.

Jackson was then scheduled to meet Georgian wrestler Levan Makashvili at January’s UFC on FOX 18 event. About three weeks out, though, something went wrong.

“I threw a push kick in practice, and I knew right away that I broke it,” Jackson said. “It snapped. I felt it, and as soon as it happened, I knew it was broke.”

The second toe on Jackson’s right foot split. A day later, his foot was badly bruised and swollen. Without being able to put any pressure on the foot, jiu-jitsu practice prove impossible. Planting on the foot to deliver a power shot was also out of the question.

Still, Jackson said he never once considered withdrawing from the fight.

“My first fight with Yancy was short notice, and it didn’t go my way,” Jackson said. “I was pretty disappointed with my performance in that fight. The Rony Jason fight, I was doing really well with him and felt really comfortable going into the camp. I finished it out great, and I went into the fight and didn’t perform good. I ended up getting caught.

“It was kind of one of those things where I didn’t feel like I was in a position to turn a fight down. I felt like it was something I could train around and something that wasn’t too serious. So I feel like you definitely take the fight because there’s so many guys that want that position that would do anything for it. So to turn down a fight for something so minor is not really a good option for me.”

Jackson and Makashvili would fight to a majority draw. It would serve as the final fight of Jackson’s first foray into the UFC, as he was eventually served his walking papers.

So in hindsight, was it a bad idea to fight through an injury that he readily admits impacting his preparation process, especially knowing the result of the fight saw him booted from the UFC. Jackson insists it wasn’t.

“Everybody has felt that pressure, but I feel like people need to start showing up ready to go,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he’s currently seeking a contract with another promotion, whether it be Bellator, World Series of Fighting or perhaps a return to Legacy FC. A father to three daughters, Jackson said he’ll continue to pursue his dream and thinks more frequent competition on a smaller promotion could eventually provide him the experience he could have used the first time around, and he hopes to make it back to the UFC.

“For me, right now, taking this time outside the UFC, I’m going to take advantage of it,” Jackson said. “I’m going to try and get as many fights as I can with whoever the hell it is. I just want to compete as often as I can.”

As for Jackson’s first UFC run, he remains steadfast that battling through injury will always be part of the sport, and he continues on with no regrets.

“I think people should step up more,” Jackson said.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Events section of the site.