Alistair Overeem will face Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA teammate Andrei Arlovski at UFC Fight Night 87 on May 8, 2016, on the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion’s debut card in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
While the bout is one fight fans are looking for too, it isn’t one Greg Jackson is particularly looking fond of. That’s because this time around, he is breaking protocol when it comes to coaching against his own student.
As he breaks it down to MMA Junkie, Jackson says he’s cornering Andrei because he promised him that he would:
“I’m going to work with Andrei and corner Andrei for the fight because I promised him I would. Usually I step out, but Andrei’s kind of a special case. Alistair will come train at different times, Andrei will train at different times, and it will be business as usual. We’re an enormous team and we knew we would have to fight each other at some point. We put protocols in place to deal with it when it happens. It’s unfortunate. I don’t like it, but it’s part of the job, and I’ll deal with it.”
Of course, Jackson is no stranger to this situation, as Jon Jones and Rashad Evans saw their friendship go out the window when they were forced to fight in 2012. As a result, Evans left the Albuquerque gym, one he helped rise to fame, while Jones — the newbie at the time — stayed put.
It’s something that still weighs on Greg:
“It was when we went through the Jon Jones and Rashad situation. I really dropped the ball on that. I should’ve had those protocols in place at that time to deal with it, but it just was never a reality. I may not be that sharp, but, I do learn eventually and that situation really taught me a lot. the mistakes I made in that situation I don’t plan on making it again.”
As for how Overeem feels about the situation, Jackson says he is okay with his decision, and has no hard feelings toward him or Arlovski, though he doesn’t consider “The Pitbull” a friend.
For more on the upcoming Heavyweight slugfest click here.