Greg Jackson: It Must Be His Birthday

I revere Greg Jackson.

When I watch one of his fighters step into the cage I know that it's going to be a fight, because that fighter is going to do something new.

I'm not saying I always bet on Jackson's fighters (I'm betting against Marquardt on Saturday), but I never count them out.

Greg Jackson is one of the guys who watches fighting as an art, looks for new things that he can try, new ways to win and new ways to make the sport interesting. He is always looking to take his fighters to the next level in their conditioning and their intelligence.

When I saw Rashad Evans kick Sean Salmon in the head I was shocked. I was surprised that a short, thick wrestler like Evans would consider using a headkick, but those are the types of things that Greg Jackson teaches his fighters to do.

While Greg Jackson had a slight skid, with Joey Villasenor losing recently and Diego Sanchez falling to Josh Koscheck via decision, I expect him to bounce back this Saturday and I expect his fighters to bring their A-game. Make no mistake, Greg Jackson learns something new with every defeat and every victory.

This saturday must be like Christmas in July for Greg Jackson. He has the opportunity to win a belt when Nate Marquardt squares off against Anderson Silva, but perhaps an even bigger opportunity is for Rashad Evans to defeat former UFC champion and (almost definitely) future hall-of-famer Tito Ortiz. There is no doubt that if Evans beats Ortiz he will be in a position where he could very well be within view of the World Lightheavyweight Title (the unified 205 pound titles of the UFC and PRIDE, which will end up unified when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fights Dan Henderson at UFC 75).

For me, this Saturday is another event. An exciting event to watch, but still just another card that the UFC has put together. For Greg Jackson, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, the gift that only comes on your Birthday. So good luck to Greg Jackson, and I wish him the best.