Jason Jackson, the Bellator welterweight champion, could barely contain himself as he spoke with reporters on a Zoom call about his opponent, Ray Cooper III. The two will meet on the main card of the PFL versus Bellator pay-per-view show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday that will stream live on pay-per-view on both ESPN+ and DAZN.
Jackson won the title by knocking out Yaroslav Amosov in the third round of their title bout at Bellator 301 on Nov. 17 in Chicago, ending Amosov's incredible 27-fight win streak. When the PFL versus Bellator card was announced, Jackson was set to face PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov.
But Magomedkerimov pulled out in January with an injury and that created an opportunity for, well, Jackson because Jackson seems much more excited to face Cooper than he did to meet Magomedkerimov. Magomedkerimov choked out Sadibou Sy on Nov. 24 to capture the PFL welterweight title. It was his sixth consecutive victory and his 18th in his last 19 outings.
The only man to defeat Magomedkerimov in that span was none other than Ray Cooper III. So as PFL officials put the bout back together, they settled on Cooper. The fight will be at a catchweight of 182 pounds because Cooper didn't feel he could safely make 170, though it didn't bother Jackson much. The 33-year-old Jamaican knows much about Cooper and liked the matchup.
"The reason why I got excited is because I feel he's a way more complete fighter than Magomed," Jackson said. "You know, I thrive on adversity and I know what this guy can do. I look at him like a young Mike Tyson, so it makes me work even harder. Forget about his last performance. Forget about him missing weight. This guy is a monster in my head."
Cooper is 25-9-1 and is a two-time PFL welterweight champion. In two of his last three fights, though, he missed weight. He missed in his last outing, a middleweight bout against ex-UFC star Derek Brunson, who was making his PFL debut on Nov. 24. Cooper came in at 186.6 pounds. He also missed against Carlos Leal at PFL 3 on May 6, 2022, when he came in at 176.4.
Cooper is an aggressive, attack-oriented fighter and that's just the type of opponent Jackson hoped to get.
"This guy has never changed nothing about his style," Jackson said. "He's either going to knock you the f*ck out or he's going to put on a good wrestling clinic because his wrestling is not bad at all. He's durable, very durable, and he's dangerous at any time."
Even when Jackson was asked about his massive upset victory over Amosov. He somehow managed to turn it to Cooper and noted how dangerous Cooper is.
He could just be trying to play Cooper, but he came across most sincerely and showed him nothing but respect.
He earned plenty of respect by beating Amosov, though, who in some eyes had been one of the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world going into their bout. Jackson dominated the bout and finished him in the third, establishing himself as a force to reckon with at 170.
He had few believers until he put Amosov out.
"I'm not surprised because I'd been telling everyone, and the media, that I'm going to put my hands on this guy," Jackson said. "Everybody had been sleeping on my wrestling. The only thing that surprised me was when that belt was going around my waist, just how good it felt to be crowned the welterweight champion. I waited two years, two years no matter what. I kept. pushing through and believed in myself when nobody did. So that's the only thing that surprised me. Nothing else did."
He'll get the special belt that the PFL is giving to the winners on Saturday even though it's not a title fight. There is only one true PFL versus Bellator title fight on the card, the main event between heavyweight champions Renan Ferreira of the PFL and Ryan Bader of Bellator. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen will face PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay, but that is it for the champions' bouts.
Jackson, though, can create a stir with a win.
He accepted the fight even though Cooper wanted a 182-pound catchweight.
"I didn't argue or nothing [when the weight was presented to me]," Jackson said. "I wanted you to be at your best, Ray. I'm a huge fan of that Ray Cooper."