Exclusive: Jason Jackson recounts handing Yaroslav Amosov his first career loss, says he was "overlooked" and "meant" to end his streak
Jason Jackson recently discussed his impressive win over Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 301 to become the new welterweight champion. In doing so, he handed the Ukrainian his first career loss and ended his unbeaten streak that spanned 12 years.
Amosov was highly regarded among the MMA community and was even compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov, given his perfect 27-0 MMA record. Despite the record and aura of the then-welterweight champion, 'The A**-Kicking Machine' wasn't fazed and dictated the pace of the fight before earning an impressive third-round knockout.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the reigning Bellator welterweight champion recounted his impressive title win over 'Dynamo.' Jackson mentioned that he was overlooked and took it upon himself to make a statement. He said:
"It was meant for me to do that [end Amosov's streak], trust me. Because, I was the one that was being overlooked in [the] Bellator welterweight [division] and I was the hardest worker in Bellator welterweight [division]. I beat everyone they put in front of me. I had harder competition than he did...on his rise champion...So, I was the one to beat him." [2:17 - 2:42]
Check out the full Sportskeeda MMA exclusive with Jason Jackson below:
Jason Jackson wasn't surprised that Yaroslav Amosov didn't receive an immediate rematch
Despite Yaroslav Amosov's 27-fight winning streak and title reign coming to an end, Jason Jackson wasn't surprised that he didn't receive an immediate rematch.
The reigning Bellator welterweight champion has since defeated Ray Cooper III this past February and will be defending his title against Ramazan Kurmagomedov. During the aforementioned interview, Jackson mentioned that he believes Amosov wasn't awarded an immediate rematch because their bout was one-sided. He said:
"I mean, he [Amosov] haven't done nothing all that time since I fought [him]...And the way I beat him, it wasn't close. If it were close then I would've been like, 'Yeah', but dude got knocked out. Face plant. So you know, if he were to actually went and fought somewhere else or fought in PFL or something, it would be like, 'Alright, cool'. But this guy done nothing but sit around and expect to be given a title fight." [1:18 - 1:50]
Check out Bellator's tweet following Jason Jackson's win over Yaroslav Amosov below: