Bellator 301: Jackson shocks unbeaten Amosov

Jason Jackson shocked the MMA world at Bellator 301 and became champion.

Considered by many as a hefty underdog, Jackson (17-4 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) knocked out previously unbeaten Yaroslav Amosov (27-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) to top off a dominant striking performance in Friday’s main event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The stoppage came via punches at 2:08  of Round 3.

From the opening bell, Jackson stuffed Amosov’s takedown attempts and established range. Jackson used leg kicks to keep Amosov at bay. His uppercuts and knees threatened Amosov each time he shot for a takedown.

As the fight wore on, Amosov wore down. Jackson remained calm and waited for his moment, which he found in a combination that ended in a hard right hand. Down went Amosov, who tried to survive. Amosov absorbed blows as he got to his feet. A sloppy takedown was once again countered by an uppercut – but this one put him out.

Jackson, who had not competed since July 2022, extended his winning streak to seven. Other notable wins include Douglas Lima, Paul Daley, Benson Henderson, and Neiman Gracie also.

Amosov loses for the first time as a professional. He won the title vs. Douglas Lima in June 2021 and defended it once successfully vs. Logan Storley in February after a split from MMA to serve in the Ukrainian military.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 301 results include:

• Jason Jackson def. Yaroslav Amosov via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:08

• Patchy Mix def. Sergio Pettis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:51; to unify undisputed bantamweight title

• Raufeon Stots def. Danny Sabatello via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• A.J. McKee def. Sidney Outlaw via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Alexander Shabliy def. Patricky Freire via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – advances to lightweight grand prix final

• Archie Colgan def. Pieter Buist via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Denise Kielholtz def. Sumiko Inaba via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Timur Khizriev def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Keri Melendez def. Sabriye Sengul via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:06

• Matheus Mattos def. Richard Palencia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:20

• Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. Randall Wallace via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49

• Islam Mamedov def. Killys Mota via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

• Cody Law def. Jefferson Pontes via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27, 30-27)

• Tim Wilde def. Mike Hamel via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:47

• Yves Landu def. Isao Kobayashi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie