Despite emerging victorious, Mike Jackson felt robbed of the spotlight following his most recent outing.
The 37-year-old was handed a disqualification victory in the first round of his bout with kickboxing prospect, Dean Barry, earlier this year. A seemingly deliberate eye gouge on Barry’s behalf served as the cause for the ruling as Jackson, unable to open his right eye, could not continue.
To hear ‘The Truth’ tell it, he was frustrating his Irish counterpart to no end – sticking and moving his way around the cage while Barry would load up and miss – he noted that, in his opinion, this frustration was the source of Barry’s eventual transgression. In the eyes of fans, A DQ win lacks the allure of a spectacular finish or hard-fought decision, and Jackson maintains that his chance at glory was stolen.
Regardless, it’s all smiles as the welterweight prepares to face Pete Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 62 on October 15th. Another fight against another dangerous prospect simply represents another opportunity for Jackson to shock the audience; a chance for him to be rid of the foul taste that’s lingered in his mouth since his last excursion to the Octagon, and there’s no doubt in his mind that he’ll seize it when it arrives.
“Man this is gonna be fun you know,” an eager Jackson shared with The AllStar in a recent interview. “[It’s] gonna be a better fight, just on paper, than the last one against cheating bitch ass Dean Barry.”
“When I think of Pete man I think of a fucking warrior.”
A stark contrast to the aforementioned Barry, whom Jackson now refuses to even acknowledge as a ‘professional’ fighter.
“He’s gonna come, he’s gonna bring it, I know he has some hammers over there, but I feel I’m just overall better everywhere. I feel that I have the better striking, if he decides to grapple I feel I’m gonna be better there. I’m gonna have the experience and I’m gonna have the size, you know. I just feel that I’m gonna be a little bit too much for him and it’s gonna show.”
At 5’9″, there’s some truth to the notion that Rodriguez may prove to be undersized in the UFC’s welterweight division. Jackson, himself standing 6’2″, is certain size will play an integral role in the fight to come – and each succeeding fight his opponent competes in at 170-pounds.
“He’s pretty green himself, so once he finds his footing and can establish himself, you know, get with a nutritionist, then [lightweight] may be the weight for him. But at [welterweight] I don’t think he’s big enough for this, you know. Whether it’s against me or whether it’s against any other legit [welterweights]”
With size on his side, Jackson likes his odds of finishing Rodriguez before the final horn sounds but admitted such a feat will be no easy task.
“I feel I can get them out in the second round just because that’s my style, that’s my vibe,” Jackson predicted. “I like to slow cook people a little bit you know, but it’s all on what this guy gives me. If he’s coming out guns blazing then shit, like Dean Barry, I gotta get mine first, you know what I’m saying… but if I’m dictating the pace of it, it’s just gonna be a little slow burn, you know. I like to let my shit simmer a little bit, you know.”
“But, like I said, he’s a warrior man. He’s gonna be tough, and he’s gonna be able to take these shots.”
Jackson couldn’t resist the urge to take a final shot at Barry in his assessment of Rodriguez.
“I felt like, again, Dean Barry – I could have got him out of there with one right hand, he just didn’t give me the opportunity.
“[But] I’m gonna have to bring a lot of those for Pete. I don’t think I’ll catch him with a shot and then he’ll be like ‘oh shit,’ like Dean did. I’m gonna catch him with a shot he’s gonna keep coming.”
Fighter profile
Mike “The Truth” Jackson is a 37-year-old male fighter from the United States with 1 pro win and 1 loss. Jackson most recently fought Dean Barry at UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Mike Jackson’s recent form coming into this matchup
Mike Jackson has gone 1-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Dean Barry • Disqualificaton R1 3:52 • 2022-04-23
- No Contest vs CM Punk • Decision R3 5:00 • 2018-06-09
- Loss vs Mickey Gall • Submission R1 0:45 • 2016-02-06
