Jason Jackson eyes redemption in inaugural PFL welterweight tournament

Bellator never die?The influence of the now-defunct MMA brand is all over the welterweight field of this year’s inaugural PFL World Tournament, with a trio of former champions — Jason Jackson, Andrey Koreshkov and Logan Storley — highlighting the group of eight.Impressive as the competition may be, the last man to hold the Bellator MMA welterweight crown before its late 2023 sale to PFL has no doubt who’s coming out on top.“I’ll beat them all if they stand across the cage from me,” Jackson told The Post prior to Tuesday’s reveal of the welterweight tournament roster.“Beating them all, every single one, and win this tournament, get that belt, and get the funds that come with it.”The referenced “funds” are a $500,000 prize to the seven men and one woman who emerge from the eight divisional brackets to be staged throughout the year.That’s half of what champions of the PFL season winners received before the tournament format took its place coming into 2025.The first-round matchups begin April 3 in Orlando, Fla., in the Universal Studios backlot, followed by semifinals starting June 12 and wrapping up with the finals over three events beginning Aug.

1 and all events airing on ESPN platforms.Matchups were not yet announced by PFL, but one name stood out from the crowd in Jackson’s mind: Koreshkov.“Been on my radar a few times,” said the Jamaican, who moved to South Florida as an adolescent.“We were in the Bellator field, but for some reason, I leaped over him.”Indeed, Jackson (18-5, nine finishes) put together an eight-fight win streak after dropping his Bellator debut, picking up notable victories over ex-UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson, Paul Daley and Douglas Lima before a knockout of Yaroslav Amosov to capture the Bellator crown in November 2023, just days before the promotion’s sale was announced.After defeating former two-time PFL season winner Ray Cooper III at the one-off PFL vs.

Bellator event in last February, Jackso...