Bellator 255 results: Jason Jackson outpoints Neiman Gracie in close decision

Welterweight Jason Jackson got his fourth consecutive win when he outpointedd Neiman Gracie in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255.

[autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] continues to rise up the Bellator welterweight ranks.

The Jamaican fighter picked up his fourth consecutive win, outpointing [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] in a unanimous decision in the co-main event of Friday’s Bellator 255 in Uncasville, Conn. Jackson won 29-28 on all three judges’ scorecards.

In the first round, Jackson (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and Gracie (10-2 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) traded some good shots right off the bat. Shortly after, Gracie went in for a takedown, but failed. Gracie ended up on bottom but immediately was able to reverse the position with a sweep from half guard. From there, Gracie got the mount and controlled Jackson while landing shots from top for a minute.

During the reversal, Jackson’s face scraped on the fence. He later told the referee he couldn’t see. The fight was stopped and the doctor came in to check on him. The fight was resumed from mount, and Jackson was able to reverse the position and ended up in guard to finish the round.

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The second also seemed to favor Gracie. Jackson connected with several hard leg kicks that seemed to stun Gracie, but the Brazilian controlled much of the action on the ground. Gracie was constantly looking for a takedown and after a few failed attempts was able to get Jackson on the canvas about half way through the round. Gracie controlled Jackson for the entirety of the round, but was unable top threaten with submissions or land much ground-and-pound.

The final round had Jackson take the lead with better striking exchanges. Gracie still pressed forward looking for the takedown. Due to an accidental eye poke from Gracie the fight was stopped once again, but resumed with doctor’s clearance. With three minutes left on the clock, Gracie went for a takedown, but failed and ended up on bottom guard. From there, Jackson remained on top defending Gracie’s attempts for a sweep all the way to the final bell.

Jackson has built quite a list in his recent run, defeating notable names such as Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein, Benson Henderson and now Gracie. The 30-year-old’s lone recent loss was a split decision to Ed Ruth in 2019. Jackson is 7-1 in his past eight bouts. In his post-fight interview, the Sanford MMA product asked to be the next challenger for the Bellator welterweight title, which is held by Douglas Lima.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 255 results include:

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