Pete Rodriguez lined up a violent combination to finish Mike Jackson in the first round.
Jackson, a part-time mixed martial artist marked his return to action against Rodriguez in the opener for UFC Vegas 62: Grasso vs Araujo at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. “The Truth” went into the bout after competing against Dean Barry in April. He won the fight by disqualification after the referee saw eye gouging. Jackson labeled Barry a ‘dirty cheating motherf**ker‘ after the eye gouge at UFC Vegas 52.
Pete Rodriguez knocks out Mike Jackson with a violent knee at UFC Vegas 62
Rodriguez went into the bout looking to get back to winning ways after losing his UFC debut to rising prospect Jack Della Madalena in Jan. at UFC 270. It marked the first loss of his professional career after going unbeaten in four fights. He opened as a massive betting favorite against the relatively inexperienced Jackson. Rodriguez connected with a huge right hook to the body that dropped Jackson before landing a combination. Jackson ended up getting caught by a violent knee from Rodriguez.
THAT KNEE WAS BRUTAL 😳 #UFCVegas62 pic.twitter.com/LzCnyDzPx6
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2022
Jackson faced heat after his last fight against Dean Barry
Following the anticlimactic outcome of his last bout against Dean Barry, Jackson faced criticism for the way he handled the sole win on his record. Barry took to his social media account to bash Jackson and argued that he looked for the ‘easy way out.’
“To be honest with you, I thought he took the easy way out there,” Barry said in a video. “Didn’t want to stay, didn’t want to continue fighting. Even when I kicked him low, he was talking on the ground to me for ages. Like, if you get hit in the nuts, you can’t be talking like that. Same with the eye poke. Straight after the ref called the fight off, he was fine. Both eyes open perfectly. He said he can’t open his eyes.
Jackson’s future in the UFC appears uncertain after the fourth underwhelming appearance under the banner.
