Damon Jackson Rejoins UFC, Faces Mirsad Bektic at UFC Fight Night 178 on Saturday

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A Ultimate Fighting Championship vet has found his way back to the promotion on short notice this weekend.

On Thursday, Bloody Canvas first broke the story that Damon Jackson (17-3-1, 1 NC) will be returning to the UFC on Sept. 19 at UFC Fight Night 178. He will be stepping in the Octagon against Mirsad Bektic (13-3) at featherweight, pending a COVID-19 test. Luiz Eduardo Garagorri was originally slated to face Bektic, but the Uruguayan was pulled after one of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19. Jackson has since confirmed the matchup on his Facebook page.

Jackson will be making his way back to the UFC after a lengthy stretch in the Legacy Fighting Alliance and an unfortunate 10-second stint in the Professional Fighters League. His May 2019 bout in the PFL saw him separated from his consciousness in 10 seconds with a flying knee from Movlid Khaybulaev ? in the process, Khaybulaev scored the fastest knockout in company history. The quick defeat is surrounded by a slew of victories under the LFA banner, where Jackson set or extended several records with the company including the most wins and the most finishes.

Bektic is currently on a two-fight skid, having suffered his first-ever consecutive losses at the hands of Josh Emmett and Dan Ige. Most recently, Bektic dropped a close split verdict to Ige at UFC 247, while Emmett knocked him out in 2019. The loss to Emmett ended a win streak that saw the Tristar Gym standout finish Godofredo Castro and defeat Ricardo Lamas in 2018. Born in what is now known as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Bosnian fighter started his career at 11-0 before a shocking upset loss to Darren Elkins in 2017.

UFC Fight Night 178 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 19, where it will be headlined by a welterweight grudge match between Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley. The co-main event sees Donald Cerrone try to snap a lengthy skid against Niko Price at welterweight, and Khamzat Chimaev will try to continue his unbeaten run when he faces Gerald Meerschaert at 185 pounds.