With Eduardo Garagorri out, Damon Jackson steps in to face Mirsad Bektic at UFC on ESPN+ 36

MMA News

With Eduardo Garagorri out, Damon Jackson steps in to face Mirsad Bektic at UFC on ESPN+ 36

Damon Jackson will get a second shot in the UFC.

Eduardo Garagorri has been forced out of UFC on ESPN+ 36 due to a positive COVID-19 test and Jackson (17-3-1 MMA, 0-1-1 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Mirsad Bektic (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Saturday.

MMA Junkie confirmed the booking after an initial report from Bloody Canvas.

Jackson, a UFC, Bellator, LFA and PFL veteran, has fought across all major MMA organizations. Since parting ways with the UFC in 2016, Jackson has won eight of his past 10 fights with all but one of his wins coming by finish.

Bektic has struggled of late, dropping two straight for the first time in his career. After picking up wins over Godofredo Pepey and Ricardo Lamas, Bektic has lost back-to-back to Josh Emmett and, most recently, Dan Ige at UFC 247 in February.

With the change, the current UFC on ESPN+ 36 includes:

MAIN CARD (8 p.m., ESPN+)

  • Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley
  • Donald Cerrone vs. Niko Price
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Gerald Meerschaert
  • Ryan Spann vs. Johnny Walker
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Randa Markos
  • Kevin Holland vs. Darren Stewart

PRELIMINARY CARD (5 p.m., ESPN+)

  • Mirsad Bektic vs. Damon Jackson
  • Mara Romero Borella vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
  • David Dvorak vs. Jordan Espinosa
  • Sarah Alpar vs. Jessica-Rose Clark
  • Randy Costa vs. Journey Newson
  • Andre Ewell vs. Irwin Rivera
  • T.J. Laramie vs. Darrick Minner
  • Tyson Nam vs. Jerome Rivera

With Eduardo Garagorri out, Damon Jackson steps in to face Mirsad Bektic at UFC on ESPN+ 36