Welterweight Mike Jackson is no longer with the UFC.
The promotion released Jackson from his contract with one fight remaining on his deal. MMA Junkie confirmed the news on Tuesday following an initial report from algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch.
Jackson (1-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was a rarity in the promotion as one of the few fighters in the last decade whose only professional MMA experience was in the UFC. The 37-year-old made his debut against Mickey Gall at UFC Fight Night 82 in 2016. He lost the fight by rear-naked choke.
From there, Jackson returned two years later in 2018 to fight and defeat pro-wrestling star CM Punk by unanimous decision. However, that victory would later be overturned to a no contest by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation after Jackson tested positive for marijuana. The fight with Jackson stands as CM Punk’s last and final MMA bout.
Jackson returned again in 2022 to compete twice – winning by disqualification against Dean Barry after a hard groin kick stopped the fight and losing his most recent bout in October to Pete Rodriguez by knockout.
Jackson’s release comes on the heels of a physical altercation he had with former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields last month at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. The incident was the culmination of a Twitter beef that stemmed around politics, with Jackson accusing Shields of being a white supremacist, which Shields vehemently denied.
