As of Monday, welterweight Mike Jackson is no longer part of the UFC roster. The 37-year-old fighter, who is known for his (overturned) win over C.M. Punk, confirmed the news with MMA Fighting.
Jackson noted that his release was in no way related to his physical altercation with fellow UFC veteran Jake Shields a few weeks ago at the Performance Institute. Both men are planning to take legal action against each other, as Shields was supposedly banned from the P.I.
But for Jackson, there is still a score to settle.
“My mindset wasn’t to beat the f–k out of Jake Shields — it was to not get punched in the face,” he said. “So he’s in my DMs, talking a bunch of shit, but then his tune changed, and he was like, ‘Do you want me to come to Houston to box? I’ll come box you.’
“I haven’t responded yet, but that’s my new thing. He’s going to come to Houston, or we’re going to find somewhere to meet, and I’ll beat the f–k out of him for the shit that he did.”
Shields also got in touch with MMA Fighting and agreed to the callout.
“I’ll fly to Houston and fight him if I know for sure he will show, but he keeps making excuses,” Shields stated via text. “I contacted his trainer directly to make sure he will be at the gym, and he seems to think he won’t actively fight me.”
As for his UFC release Jackson, (1-2, 1 NC), whose lone win came via DQ, says it’s no big deal.
“I understand the business side of this. But for me, it doesn’t matter. I made way more money not fighting than fighting.”
Jackson last fought in October against Pete Rodriguez and lost via first-round knockout.
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