When Keith Jardine steps in to the cage on Sept. 11, it will be the first time since 2004 that he does so for an organization other than the UFC.
But as Jardine prepares for his first post-UFC match again Trevor Prangley at Shark Fights 13, coach Greg Jackson says that the name on the banners doesn't matter.
"I think with Keith Jardine, a fight's a fight," Jackson told TapouTVTC.com. "He just loves the experience of it, so if he fights in a ring in Japan somewhere, if he fights in a cage in the UFC, if he fights in this new organization that we're fighting in, it's all a fight to him."
And while some fighters might take a "gimme" fight to get back on the winning track, Jackson says that that is not Jardine's style.
"Keith Jardine is always looking for a tough fight. If he doesn't think you're a tough fight, he won't do it," Jackson said.
"[Jardine] actually likes to fight the toughest guys he can fight, and Trevor Prangley's an amazing fighter," Jackson continued. "Keith literally couldn't get up in the morning if it wasn't a challenge. If he was just going to fight a guy with like two fights who wasn't that good, he wouldn't even show up for practice, because that's not a challenge for him. He likes to challenge himself."
In Prangley, Jardine will face an MMA veteran with 29 professional fights and nine submission victories. If the fight goes to the ground, Jackson is confident that Jardine will not be outmatched.
"[Jardine] actually has an amazing ground game, he just really enjoys punching people in the face," Jackson said. "What you might not know about him is prior to coming to the UFC, he would storm Grappling Quest, all those grappling tournaments. He was tapping people out left and right."
Regardless of where the fight goes, Jackson says that they have continued to make changes to get Jardine back on a winning streak. With a few more wins over opponents like Prangley, Jardine could soon find himself back with the organization he has called home for the past six years.
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