Jason Jackson before Bellator 283: Douglas Lima 'not the same fighter that he was'

Jason Jackson doesn’t see the Douglas Lima of old anymore.

The Bellator welterweight contender believes Lima (32-10 MMA, 14-6 BMMA), former champion and long-time staple of the promotion, has seen better days in his career. Lima looks to bounce back from a three-fight losing streak on July 22 as he takes on Jackson (15-4 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 283.

Although Jackson doesn’t see a prime Lima, the 31-year-old doesn’t feel like that’ll be a factor. Prime or not, Jackson is confident he’ll get his hand raised.

“He’s not the same fighter that he was,” Jackson told MMA Junkie. “I’m not going to say his days are over, but he just has a tough matchup on his hands. I’m a dangerous matchup for anyone in the world right now, so it’s not him. Even back in the days in his prime, I would still be a tough fight for him.”

Lima’s last win came against Rory MacDonald in late 2019 at Bellator 232. That night, Lima regained his Bellator welterweight title from MacDonald and also claimed the Bellator welterweight world grand prix belt, along with the $1 million prize that came with winning the tournament.

Jackson feels age and the big purse could be factors of his perceived bad form from the Brazilian.

“He was definitely younger, and for some reason he was a lot more faster,” Jackson said. “I felt like he was more hungry, but I feel now, he won a couple of mill, and he’s not hungry no more.

“Now I’m the one that’s hungry. I’m the hungry wolf, the hungry lion, ready to show the world there’s a new era. That’s the TAKM era – ‘The Ass-Kicking Machine’ era.”