Gulf High Alumnus to Fight at Sun Dome MMA Event

Gulf High alumnus Ladarious Jackson is slated for a fight in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa next month.

Jackson, 21, was chosen to participate in the welterweight match at the Xtreme Fighting Championship’s Collision Course event June 14. His match is one of the preliminary fights leading up to the main event. An opponent for him has not been announced yet.

Jackson has racked up amateur mixed martial arts wins since he started fighting in 2012, but he wants to be a professional fighter.

“My ultimate goal is to be the world champion in mixed martial arts,” he said.y Florida regulations require that a fighter participate in five amateur mixed martial arts fights before the compete in a professional match.

Jackson says his sixth amateur fight was the WCFL Breaking Point event March 30. He was the headliner and won his weight division at that event.

The Sun Dome match will be Jackson's first fight in an MMA event. He does not have a contract  with the league yet, but this his first shot at joining XFC. An XFC spokesman said that if he dares well in the fight, he could be awarded a multi-fight contract with the XFC.

Jackson has been on the XFC radar for some time.

"Ladarious is a very talented young star and looks to be a great fit in our growing divisions," league president Prsco said in a statement. "He's put on some great amateur fights and begun to show how well rounded of a fighter he has become. He trains with some of the best and has a bright future ahead of him, as he makes his Pro Debut. This next fight at XFC 24 will be the toughest he has faced. ...With a win, it is likely you will see him join the XFC ranks and begin working his way towards a title shot in the coming years."

Jackson was a wrestling champ in high school, rising above a troubled childhood that was documented in the Tampa Bay Times. He won two state wrestling championships during his time as a student at Gulf High.

He graduated in 2011.

Jackson attended Indiana Tech University for a time, but dropped out and returned to the New Port Richey area. In 2012, he stopped into Gator MMA on Leo Kidd Avenue in Port Richey. Daniel Blevins, the owner of Gator MMA, has become a friend and helped Jackson communicate with XFC. He's even let Jackson live at the gym for a time.

Jackson has been working two jobs and intends to continue working them as he strives to make a career out of MMA fighting. He buses tables and works at the bakery at Harold Seltzer’s Steakhouse at Gulf View Square Mall in Port Richey and also works at a Pet Supermarket in New Port Richey.

“I can’t wait to see what I become,” he said.

Want Tickets to the Collision Course XFC Event?

You can buy tickets at Be a Fan Tickets or the USF Sun Dome Box office. The overall event begins at 7 p.m.  June 14, but the doors open at 6:30 p.m. 

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