As a journalist, you have to stay true not only to yourself but to your craft. While attending Bellator 149, I was there as both a journalist and as a corner man, and then I was kicked out.

While in our dressing room at the Toyota Center, which I believe was the visitor’s locker room (need you to understand the size), myself, teammates, as well as other fighters and coaches were congregating, while other bouts were going on. One of Bellator’s staff members comes in and informs us that we need to clear out of the room and that we need to relocate to another room across the hall. Now, he could have come up with any type of excuse, but the guy was honest, which I respect. The jobber informed us all that Ken Shamrock didn’t like his current dressing room for whatever reason, and that they were going to move him into our locker room; something about needing room for cameras and such. I completely understand the need for space, but with roughly four remaining fighters, and corners, it would be obvious we would need our space also. Well, Bellator’s people decided it was best to place us in what I would equate to a large broom closet (video below).

If you’ve followed my media career, you know that one of the main things I provide to the public is behind the scenes coverage at fights. I decided it would be fun to post the facts on social media; it wasn’t a shot at Bellator either, mainly at the diva Ken Shamrock. (Disclaimer: The guy could have said “please don’t say anything,” and I would have respected that, but he didn’t, so I Snapchatted/Tweeted away)

Our locker room with 8 fighters, was just kicked out & sent to a broom closet because Ken Shamrock didn't like his room, WOW! #Bellator149 — Mike Jackson, Esq. (@TheTruthJackson) February 20, 2016

Bellator wasn’t too happy with me telling the Truth in this situation; I assume they didn’t want this kind of information leaked to the public. Honestly, I don’t know why they were so upset about it, but it’s their prerogative. As many people retweeted my original tweet, and then tagged Bellator, they sent out a crew to look for me. I made their job easier and went to them, unbeknownst to me that they were indeed searching for me.

One guy, I don’t remember his name, asked why I tweeted out what happened? I responded, “because it happened.” You could see on his pale face that he was turning red. Then Danny, a Bellator employee in charge of media, asked what I was doing in the back, and not in the designated section for photographers. I let him know I was cornering a teammate. He told me I wasn’t supposed to be taking pictures in the back, which was weird, no one said anything to me earlier. That’s when some other staff member told me to follow him; then Ian (Bellator matchmaker I’ve been told) calls saying to meet him in the back. It then hits me, they’ve sent out a search party to find me.

In the end, I regret nothing. Well, I guess I could have stayed hidden in the back till the amateurs fought after the main event. I’m missing out on watching three solid fighters compete in the Bellator 149 dark matches.