Getty Image / Jeff Bottari
There are plenty of fighters in the MMA world that take issue with criticism from individuals who have never stepped inside the cage. That even extends to journalists who cover the sport as their career.
While most aren’t willing to step inside the cage to convince fighters they have an opinion worth listening to, there is one MMA journalist who has been stepping inside the UFC octagon for a few years now.
Before making his MMA debut, Jackson was writing for his own blog. Then an opportunity arose for him to take on Mickey Gall in his UFC debut with the two fighting for the right to welcome CM Punk to the organization.
Gall won that fight and quickly finished Punk in his next, but Jackson wasn’t done fighting . He returned to the organization a little over 2 years later for his own fight against CM Punk. He won that one by unanimous decision, although it was eventually overturned after he tested positive for marijuana.
After that, it seemed like Mike Jackson’s days in the UFC may have been done, but he ended up returning earlier this year, scoring a big upset over Dean Barry by disqualification.
Today, he attempted to put together the first winning streak of his career in a fight against Pete Rodriguez.
Unfortunately, the fight didn’t play out that way for him.
Rodriguez blitzed him from the opening bell and quickly had him in trouble. He ended up needing just a minute and a half to find the decisive blow, crushing Jackson with a knee that put him out cold.
MMA journalist Mike Jackson gets put out cold with a knee by Pete Rodriguez
THAT KNEE WAS BRUTAL 😳 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/LzCnyDzPx6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
The win is Rodriguez’s first of his UFC career and moves him MMA record to 4-1. Now that he’s secured that first win, he’ll likely get an opponent with a bit more MMA experience for his next fight.