Damon Jackson has announced that he does not intend to retire from mixed martial arts following his latest setback.
The 14-fight UFC veteran appeared to call time on his career after he was submitted by Jim Miller in New York last month.
His move to lightweight at the world's most famous arena did not go to plan and the same can be said for his recent form.
After a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria back in 2020, Jackson was able to string together consecutive wins over Charles Rosa, Kamuela Kirk, Dan Argueta and Pat Sabatini.
However, since then, he has won just one of his last five and is currently coming off of back-to-back losses inside the Octagon.
Jackson recently spoke in a recent interview with MMA Junkie about how the moment got the better of him last month which led to him making a decision that he has since overturned.
“It was a very emotional night,” Jackson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve had a lot going on this past two or three years that I haven’t really shared with anyone. I kind of kept it to myself, and I’ve just had a lot going on. It was very frustrating to go out there and be on that stage and to go out there and lose that way, a way that I’ve prided myself in with my jiu-jitsu, with my wrestling.
“To go out there and take a loss like that, it was just really frustrating – so surprising and so shocking. I couldn’t even really comprehend the fact that I just lost.”
Jackson will need to re-enter the Anti-Doping testing pool and provide six months of clean results before he can compete again and he intends on dedicating that time to some other pursuits for the time being.
He plans on returning to the UFC, where he has three fights left on his contract, around halfway through 2025 after having some time to reflect on November 16.
“I’m not done, man – I’m really not,” Jackson said. “I’ve been in the gym doing two- and three-a-days just like normal. I’m still in it 100 percent, it’s just mentally I really checked out that night and it was an overload, really. But I’m not done. I just need to figure out the path to what I want to do next. But I’m not done fighting, for sure.”
Watch the full interview below:
