A Californian fighter has mixed feelings despite being on MVP’s Netflix card. He is getting a lifetime opportunity to face a former Bellator champ on the Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano undercard. But the fact that he’s sharing the cage with a literal veteran has made him question the UFC. Why? 

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Lorez Larkin expressed gratitude for the opportunity but also questioned the UFC for not signing former Bellator world champ Jason Jackson, who is currently a free agent.

“I was happy, but then on the other end, I was like, ‘What the f–k?'” Larkin said,” When they told me the name, I was pumped, but I was like, ‘What the f—k?’ How did – like, I get it. I’m on the older end of the spectrum, you know what I mean? But Jason, bro. How the f—k is he not signed to the UFC? It almost, for me, I was just like, in a way, disgusted, bro.”

Jackson is a highly skilled MMA fighter who is known for his wrestling and grappling. He has wrestled and beaten top contenders like Douglas Lima and Neiman Gracie. Jackson is appreciated for his all-around skills and combat approach. So, Larkin was appalled to learn that Jackson was a free agent.

“This fight for me is one of the highest challenges that I’ve had in my career, as far as talent-wise. How the f—k – I’m glad everything happens for a reason, but how the f—k is that guy a free agent? It blows my mind. The guys that he has beat? I’m just like, how the f—k is he a free agent? That kind of just shows you where MMA is right now. It’s disgusting,” he added.

For context, the 35-year-old had participated in The Ultimate Fighter Season 21 as a contestant and gone 1-1 in the tournament. Later, he entered Dana White’s Contender Series 2017 but lost against Kyle Stuart. Jackson eventually ended up in Bellator, where he went on a generational run.

Jackson debuted in Bellator in 2018 and won his first fight against Jordan Larson via a TKO. The Jamaican went on to cement his position as one of the best Bellator fighters of all time. Under Scott Coker’s leadership, ‘The A— Kicking Machine’ went on a 7-fight winning streak, eventually beating Yaroslav Amosov in 2023 via a TKO for the Bellator welterweight title. Though he lost the championship to Ramazan Kuramagomedov in 2024 before the promotion merged into PFL, the 35-year-old remained a veteran. 

Even with all that glory attached, Dana White and Co were never interested in signing him. However, Jackson remained positive that he’d one day perform under the banner. But he had a condition. In a 2024 interview with MMA Fighting, the first Jamaican-born MMA world champ said that once he’s financially set, then he’ll fight in the UFC. Was that a dig toward the UFC brass and fighter pay? Probably, but at least he’s interested in fighting under White’s promotion.

But Larkin isn’t the only one who took a dig at the UFC for not signing his former champ opponent. Jake Paul has also decided to rip Dana White and Co for killing the excitement for their fans. 

Jake Paul calls out UFC for not creating stars like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones

Jake Paul has been a harsh critic of the UFC and their top brass. Whenever ‘The Problem Child’ has an opportunity, he throws verbal arrows toward Dana White. So, looking at the current dip in excitement among UFC fans, Paul didn’t stay silent and ripped the company for not being able to produce stars like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones anymore.

“I think it’s been tough for them to create stars and the fights that they want for how little they’re willing to spend,” Jake Paul told Fight Hub TV. “So, they’re kind of at a bottleneck, and I think that’s why we’ve seen fights that people aren’t super excited about and the biggest stars in the sport like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor not fighting on a consistent basis.”

“And that’s what made them so great in the beginning of their business was just massive, amazing fights all the time. Now, they’re just not willing to spend money,” he added.

Well, many find Paul’s words a stretch, as the UFC is currently producing superstars like Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, and Islam Makhachev. However, recently, a report made rounds about the promotion’s PPV numbers from 2024, headlined by their marquee names, which turned out to be less than Conor McGregor’s last PPV fight against Dustin Poirier. So, it’s definitely a sign that Dana White’s promotion is struggling to create a star like ‘The Notorious’.

That said, what do you think about the UFC getting called out by MVP? Let us know in the comments section below.