Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Greg Jackson, who has been one of the most respected mixed martial
arts coaches in the sport for more than a decade, is considering a
run for Congress in New Mexico.
Axios is reporting Jackson would run as an independent for the
U.S. House seat in the state that is being vacated by Deb Haaland,
who was chosen by newly elected President Joe Biden to lead the
Department of the Interior. According to the report, Haaland’s
impending departure “has set off a scramble by aspiring political
stars who want the marquee seat representing Albuquerque.”
Jackson is the co-owner of Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, where he has served as a primary trainer for a litany of
UFC stars over the years such as Jon Jones,
Georges St.
Pierre, Holly Holm,
Diego
Sanchez, Rashad
Evans, Carlos
Condit, John Dodson
and Michelle
Waterson, to name a few.
A New Mexico native, Jackson is unaffiliated with any political
party but leans Democratic. Jackson wants to work on teaching
police officers MMA techniques so that they could avoid using
deadly force in hostile situations. Jackson also told Axios he
would push for early federal childcare programs to fight poverty in
New Mexico.
“I’m exploring a run because I care about this community and I feel
I can make a difference,” Jackson told Axios.
According to Axios, a potential Jackson campaign “could attract
enough votes to throw off the carefully calibrated picks the
Democrats and Republicans are expected to make in the special
election to succeed Haaland.”