The Best Camp to NOT Hold UFC Gold
by Dave Franklin

TUF 1 star, Diego Sanchez, was this camp's first fighter to make his way to the UFC. After TUF 2, this camp added to its numbers by adding TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans along with two other top contestants from that season in Dan Christison and Keith Jardine.

The camp I am talking about is Jackson's Fight Team lead by Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, NM. Greg Jackson runs one of the youngest, but most successful MMA camps. The one big thing that Jackson's camp has yet to achieve is UFC gold, although he has several fighters poised to do just that.

When Georges St. Pierre defeated Matt Hughes at UFC 65, GSP began training with team members of Jackson's camp. Nate Marquardt and Rashad Evans both flew to Montreal to assist St. Pierre. At that point, when GSP won the welterweight title, he was not yet a member of Jackson's Fight Team. After losing his title to Matt Serra, GSP officially joined Jackson's team in an effort to regain his championship belt.

The only member of Jackson's camp to have had a UFC title shot was Nate Marquardt. In that fight, Nate Marquardt lost to Anderson Silva by TKO in the first round. Before that fight, Marquardt had won 4 fights in the UFC under Greg Jackson.

One of the things that makes Greg Jackson such a sought after MMA trainer, is his game planning. Jackson is excellent at breaking down a fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. Jackson prepares a strong game plan with his fighters in an attempt to exploit the weaknesses of their opponent. This is what has helped him and his fighters achieve a 23-5-1 record in 29 UFC fights. (not including fighters who train with, but are not members of, Jackson’s camp.)

While he may be one of MMA’s greatest coaches, Greg Jackson’s game-planning style could have a hole in it. He may be too good at it. Of those 29 UFC fights, 18 have gone to decision. Although they have won 15 of these decision and earned a draw in one, trying to negate your opponent instead of finishing does not go over well with fans (or Dana White.)

Here is a more in-depth look at Jackson’s fighters and their UFC record while fighting for Greg Jackson:

A few things to note about this breakdown:

- Diego Sanchez left Jackson's Fight Team before his last fight, in which he lost via decision to Jon Fitch. His record reflects that as he does have 8 fights in the UFC.
-Jason MacDonald trains with Jackson's Fight Team but is not a member of the team as of yet and therefore his record is not included.
-David Loiseau is a team member of Jackson's camp, but did not join until after he left the UFC.

I first became concerned about Jackson's "over game-planning" after Georges St. Pierre's fight against Josh Koscheck. GSP and Jackson's plan was to take Koscheck down and make him fight off off his back, out of his comfort zone. While St. Pierre performed the game plan perfectly, he seemed to lack any killer instinct. For the first time in his career, GSP was being accused by some of having "lay-n-prayed" his way to victory. A decision win is still a mark in the "W" column.

Even with so many of the team's wins coming via decision, Greg Jackson still has one of the most talented teams in MMA. A fighter is only as good as his training partners. Greg Jackson's team provides excellent training partners and his record indicates he's an excellent coach.

So, the question is, will Georges St. Pierre be able to bring Jackson's Fight Team their first UFC gold?