“We hit it off immediately” – Greg Jackson reveals how he partnered with Mike Winkeljohn to build one of MMA’s most legendary gyms
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Greg Jackson [L], Jon Jones [M], Mike Winkeljohn [R]
One of the greatest Mixed Martial Arts gyms in the world, Jackson Wink MMA Academy was founded by two of the finest trainers, Greg Jackson, and Mike Winkeljohn. On the “GLOVES OFF with VARUN” show by FirstSportz, grappling expert, Gregory Jackson revealed the birth of this academy.
The Jackson Wink MMA Academy is the “Meccah” of all mixed martial arts gyms in the world. This gym has birthed several champions and there are two people who set the foundation for this reputed institution. On FirstSportz‘s “GLOVES OFF with VARUN” show, the man, Gregory Jackson himself spoke about how the setup of this gym came about.
Gregory Jackson said in the interview that he set up his own MMA academy in the year 1992 and was training fighters by himself. Along the way, the coach met Mike Winklejohn who was a world champion at the time. When Winkeljohn contemplated retirement, Jackson immediately jumped to the idea of the two combining officially to set up an Academy of their own.
“I said, ‘no sir you are not retiring, we are making a team, officially,’ so that’s when we started Jackson-Wink,” said Jackson talking to Varun Anand in the interview. “It’s been super fun ever since,” said Jackson about his journey after 2007.
Fighters trained by Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn at the Jackson Wink Academy
The Jackson Wink MMA Academy is established in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This gym has a long list of legendary fighters who have trained here. Some of the biggest names from the gym are, Andrei Arlovski, B.J. Penn, Frank Mir, Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, and Carlos Condit.
This gym has a lot of prestige and is still continuing to produce amazing fighters. Jackson and Winkeljohn have not stopped their efforts in continuing to be one of the best in the world, if not THE best. Recently, Claressa Shields, a multi-division boxing champion decided to head to Jackson Wink Academy to pursue her professional mixed martial arts career.
Also read: “Me and Jon Jones have been friends for a few years now”- Shields talks about Jones’ support
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Prateek Athanur
(2968 Articles Published)