Damon Jackson faces Dan Ige at first UFC event of 2023
Damon Jackson is finally getting the big fight he’s been after.
MMA Fighting confirmed that Jackson faces Dan Ige — currently tied for the No. 15 spot at featherweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings — on Jan. 14, after Jackson announced the matchup on his Instagram account. The fight takes place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas as part of the UFC’s first event of 2023. A middleweight matchup between Kelvin Gastelum and Nassourdine Imavov is expected to headline the event.
After a disappointing initial run in the UFC back in 2015, Jackson has been on a tear since re-signing with the organization in 2020. “Action” has won five of his past six bouts inside the octagon, including his current four-fight winning streak, that saw him go a perfect 3-0 in 2022. Now Jackson looks to make his way into the featherweight top 15.
Ige has been a staple of the 145-pound weight class since joining the UFC off of the Contender Series in 2018. After putting together a six-fight win streak that saw him establish himself in the top 10 of the division, Ige has fallen on hard times of late, losing four of his previous five fights. Even still, “50K” is clinging on to a top 15 spot and at only 31 years old, the Hawaiian standout hopes to get back on the winning track in January.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.