Dan Ige scored a walk-off knockout win over Damon Jackson in the co-main event at UFC Vegas 67. Going in as a slight -125 favorite, ’50k’ more than justified the odds, dominating Jackson for as long as the fight lasted.
Ige started off as the early aggressor, trying to blitz his way in with a flurry before being stopped in his tracks with an overhand right, one of Jackson’s most significant shots in the fight. ’50k’ soon took over, repeatedly catching Jackson’s body with a lead left hook.
Ige also stuffed a lone takedown attempt from Jackson but accidentally poked him in the eye, leading to a short pause in the action. While ‘Action’ was ready to go after a while, he appeared to be hesitant in committing throughout the round.
Dan Ige’s dominance continued in the second frame as Jackson’s output lessened progressively. After a failed takedown shot against the fence, ’50k’ opened up ‘Action’ with a counter right before going back to the body with his lead left. Jackson tried to let his hands go in the pocket but was caught with a brutal left hook that knocked his lights out with less than a minute to go in round two. Ige’s win over ‘Action’ also marked the end of his three-fight losing skid.
Watch the KO below:
Dan Ige consulted a sports psychologist after going on a three-fight skid
Dan Ige earned his first UFC main-event spot opposite Chan Sung Jung after a first-round KO win over Gavin Tucker back in 2021.
However, ’50k’ went on to drop a unanimous decision against ‘The Korean Zombie’ and two subsequent ones against Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev.
Dan Ige was admittedly left depressed by his three-fight skid and decided to break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health. The 31-year-old featherweight recently stated on Just Scrap Radio:
“I was depressed for a little bit, I put a lot into winning and losing, and my identity was placed on that… I spoke to a sports psychologist, doing things I don’t normally do . There’s a stigma that men shouldn’t [seek mental health], like you are considered weak if you look for help or talk to other people. A lot of good came from that and going through that helped me reveal my greater purpose.”
