Athletes
Under The Radar | Montel Jackson
Despite Solid Success In The Octagon, Montel Jackson Remains An Underdiscussed Presence In The Loaded Bantamweight Division
It’s no secret that the bantamweight division is bursting at the seams with talent. The Top 15 features some of the biggest personalities with some of the most excellent skillsets in the sport, from the champ Sean O’Malley and top contender Merab Dvalishvili to the oncoming Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong. While the number next to a fighter’s name get the most attention, those on the periphery of the rankings are just as dynamic, talented and dangerous.
For one reason or another, a fighter can slip through the cracks of even the most dedicated followers. Sometimes the athlete just hasn’t picked up the right wins, or sometimes bad luck with injuries keeps them from fighting frequently enough to stick in the consciousness as the week-to-week grind of events rolls along.
UFC DENVER | Main Event Spotlight: Namajunas vs Cortez
I say all this to say that Montel Jackson is fighting at UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs Cortez with a chance to pick up his eighth win in ten fights (and fifth in a row) when he faces Da’Mon Blackshear, and it feels like the 32-year-old from Milwaukee hasn’t garnered quite enough buzz to date.
Part of that is because Jackson does not have the loudest presence nor the penchant to play the game in the media, but as far as letting his fighting speak for itself, he does all the right things.
Since fighting on Dana White’s Contender Series in June 2018, Jackson racked up a 7-2 record in the Octagon with his only losses coming to Ricky Simón (in his debut on short notice to boot) and Brett Johns, who himself was an underrated 135er during his time in the organization. His best fights aren’t losses, though. He submitted Brian Kelleher in 100 seconds and most-recently knocked out Rani Yahya last April to earn his first performance bonus.
2024 HALF-YEAR AWARDS: Knockouts | Submissions | Newcomers | Fights | Fighters
His style is a well-rounded one. Of his 13 professional wins, he has seven knockouts, and his 10 total knockdowns are tied for first all-time in the bantamweight division. He is a more-than-capable grappler, as well, landing more than 68 percent of his takedown attempts, good for seventh all-time in the UFC.
If there is a knock on him, it’s that he hasn’t been the most active of fighters. Since 2022, Jackson fought just twice, but he is floating right around the bigger names in the division. In that span, he was scheduled to face Chris Gutiérrez, Said Nurmagomedov and Farid Basharat, but for one reason or another, the fights never made it to the Octagon.
A win over Blackshear won’t exactly push Jackson into the rankings, but he is yet another stiff test to put on the resume. Blackshear pulled off only the third twister submission in the UFC against Luan Lacerda in June 2023, and he pushed Mario Bautista for three rounds in a fight he eventually lost. He is just as hungry as Jackson to pull away from the pack and get into a Top 15 fight himself.
The bout’s placement as the fourth fight of the night doesn’t quite speak to the quality of the matchup. Jackson needs a win to put him back into the path of a shot at the rankings next time out, and this fight in Denver could be that window of opportunity that leads to that breakout opportunity.
UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs Cortez took place live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on July 13, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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