CHICAGO – For Mike Jackson, a second fight in the UFC comes with a mission – to not to be a flash in the pan.

Given a second chance to win in the octagon, Jackson aims to convince UFC President Dana White he’s more than just a reality check for Phil “CM Punk” Brooks.

“I feel that if I show my skills and show what I’m capable of doing, Uncle Dana, he has no choice but to let me ride another one out,” Jackson (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) told MMAjunkie in advance of his pay-per-view opener against Punk (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 225, which takes place Saturday at United Center in Chicago.

For a while, it looked like Jackson was destined to be a footnote in the UFC’s history book. Offered the chance to spoil a fight between newcomer Mickey Gall and Punk, he was instead blown out of the water in a 2016 fight against Gall, who went on to serve the former WWE champ a big slice of humble pie.

Jackson went back to his other job as a media professional and MMA writer, also rehabbing an injury. He talked about getting a crack at Punk, but the prospect seemed dim.

Then, talk of a Punk return started to heat up, and Jackson worked overtime to hype the fight. In his mind, it was always the matchup that should have been made in the first place – he a talented striker and local hero, and Punk a wrestling star with the same amount of MMA inexperience.

Now, all eyes will be on the unusual pairing to answer, perhaps once and for all, whether Punk is more than just a spectacle draw surrounded by real fighters.

Of course, Jackson has no shortage of confidence that he’ll expose again the fact that Punk was never meant to be in the octagon.

“He has one fight in combat sports,” Jackson said. “That’s an amateur fighter, especially when he has no previous background like a collegiate wrestling career, or Ronda (Rousey) had the judo. He doesn’t have any of that. So he’s an amateur fighter at best.

“So I know he’s going to lack the skills, and I know his best for him, skill-wise, is his jiu-jitsu. I understand that. But even with that, I’m better than him on the ground.

“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than he has, and I’m prepared wherever the fight goes. But for me, everybody knows what I’m coming to do. I’m coming to cook him, and I’m coming to knock him out. That’s what’s going to happen on Saturday night.”

Jackson even wants to add a little flair to his performance to emphasize the fact that he’s more than just an MMA neophyte who talked his way onto the big stage.

“For me, I want it to go a little long,” he said. “I want to carry him a little bit … just because I want to show the UFC fans what I’m really capable of doing in the cage. But if that opportunity arises, and I get that one shot, it’s a wrap.”

Not for his UFC career, though. Jackson hopes his reality check will be rewarded. The way he sees things, he’s got a lot more to offer than just a beatdown of a pretender.

For more on UFC 225, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.