 In high school Jackson also befriended fellow Bellator light heavyweight Jacob Noe, a karate practitioner who taught Jackson striking techniques, in exchange for wrestling techniques.Originally, Jackson intended to pursue a career in professional wrestling after graduating high school, but ultimately extended his amateur wrestling career at Lassen Community College in Susanville, California before being expelled after a fight with a teammate.After discovering mixed martial arts, Jackson trained in Las Vegas with BAMMA fighter Lewis Rumble.