Greg Jackson (MMA trainer)

History

Greg Jackson was born in Washington D.C. to Kris and Jim Jackson, who were Quakers originally from the Midwest. He and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was three years old. He came from a family of wrestlers—his father, brother, and uncle were all champions in the sport—and grew up in a rough neighborhood. For his protection, he began training in judo and learning some kickboxing to complement his wrestling. He was suspended from school on more than one occasion for instigating fights.

In 1992, after graduating from Rio Grande High School, Jackson founded his own martial art, Gaidojutsu, which combines rudimentary techniques from catch wrestling and Muay Thai with basic judo locks. His school officially transitioned into an MMA academy in 2000. In 2007, Jackson partnered with striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, a seminal moment in the academy's development; since then, the gym has been known as Jackson Wink MMA Academy (JW MMA Academy), reflecting their partnership.

Awards

Greg Jackson and his gym have won five World MMA Awards altogether. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. His old gym, Greg Jackson Fighting Systems won the Gym of the Year award in 2009. The contemporary Jackson-Wink MMA Academy won the same award in 2015. In 2008, he was named Sports Illustrated's Best Trainer and Rear Naked News's Trainer of the Year.

Jackson is a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.

Filmography

In July 2012, Jackson was featured in the premier episode of Sports Illustrated presented by Lexus in a segment titled War and Peace in Jackson's Gym, which aired on July 24, 2012, on NBC Sports Network. Later that year, he also appeared in the YouTube-based comedy series Enter The Dojo.

Reality television

On February 5, 2013, Jackson signed with Bellator to coach on the promotion's reality series titled Fight Master: Bellator MMA.

References

References

1. Rumours are that he may be training Zack "The Assassin" Stiles, 16 year old, in the future. [http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Coaches-Honored-with-JacksonWinkeljohn-Day-22292 Coaches Honored with 'Jackson/Winkeljohn Dat'], [[Sherdog]] Retrieved October 15, 2014
2. [https://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-a-powerhouse-mma-gym-rose-out-of-necessity-and-is-helping-others-170321596.html How a powerhouse MMA gym rose out of necessity and is helping others], [[Yahoo Sports]] Retrieved October 15, 2014
3. [http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2044899-ranking-the-10-best-camps-in-mma-right-now/page/12 Ranking the 10 Best Camps in MMA Right Now], [[Bleacher Report]] Retrieved October 15, 2014
4. [http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/the-top-20-mma-gyms-in-america-699/ The Top 20 MMA Gyms in America] {{Webarchive. link. (March 4, 2022 fightmagazine.com Retrieved October 15, 2014)
5. [http://www.cagepotato.com/rankings-spotlight-mmas-top-5-fight-gyms/ Rankings Spotlight: MMA's Top 5 Fight Gyms] cagepotato.com Retrieved October 15, 2014
6. [http://themmacorner.com/2014/10/11/the-top-10-gyms-in-mma-today/ The Top 10 Gyms in MMA Today] {{Webarchive. link. (February 7, 2023 themmacorner.com Retrieved October 15, 2014)
7. Wray, David. (May 5, 2021). "Greg Jackson - MMA Coach Biography".
8. L. Jon Wertheim. (July 20, 2012). "War And Peace In Jackson's Gym - SI.com - Magazine". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com.
9. Wright, Rick (August 3, 2014) [http://www.abqjournal.com/440115/sports/coaching-pair-has-it-all-covered.html MMA: Coaching team has it all covered], [[Albuquerque Journal]] Retrieved October 15, 2014
10. "Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards 2010 - 2009 Winners". Onlineawards.co.uk.
11. Gross, Josh. (December 22, 2008). "SI.com's 2008 MMA awards".
12. (January 1, 2009). "Best Of MMA 2008".
13. "New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame {{!}} Greg Jackson".
14. (July 24, 2012). "Sports Illustrated Premieres Tonight on NBC Sports Network". Sports Video Group.
15. Monica, Mark La. (July 23, 2012). "Jackson's MMA featured on new Sports Illustrated TV show".
16. Segura, Melissa. (December 17, 2012). "Web series Enter The Dojo showcases lighter side of MMA".
17. "Bellator's 'Fight Master' reality series set for summer debut on Spike TV". MMA Junkie.