Greg Jackson was born in Washington D.C. to Kris and Jim Jackson, who were Quakers originally from the Midwest. He and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when he was three years old. He came from a family of wrestlers—his father, brother, and uncle were all champions in the sport—and grew up in a rough neighborhood. For his protection, he began training in judo and learning some kickboxing to complement his wrestling.[8] He was suspended from school on more than one occasion for instigating fights.
In 1992, after graduating from Rio Grande High School, Jackson founded his own martial art, Gaidojutsu, which combines rudimentary techniques from catch wrestling and Muay Thai with basic judo locks. His school officially transitioned into an MMA academy in 2000.[9] In 2007, Jackson partnered with striking coach Mike Winkeljohn, a seminal moment in the academy's development; since then, the gym has been known as Jackson Wink MMA Academy (JW MMA Academy),[10] reflecting their partnership.
Awards
Greg Jackson and his gym have won five World MMA Awards altogether. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. His old gym, Greg Jackson Fighting Systems won the Gym of the Year award in 2009. The contemporary Jackson-Wink MMA Academy won the same award in 2015.[11] In 2008, he was named Sports Illustrated's Best Trainer and Rear Naked News's Trainer of the Year.[12][13]
In July 2012, Jackson was featured in the premier episode of Sports Illustrated presented by Lexus in a segment titled War and Peace in Jackson's Gym, which aired on July 24, 2012, on NBC Sports Network.[14][15] Later that year, he also appeared in the YouTube-based comedy series Enter The Dojo.[16]
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