“DJ” which is short for De’Alonzio Jerome, he is also called “Ram-Man” most likely due to his powerful double leg takedown, “Kimura-Kid” for the same prowess with that technique and “Human Honey Badger” for his tenacity on the mats.

DJ Jackson was born on October 31, 1988 in District Heights, Maryland – USA. He started wrestling for the DeMartha Catholic High School, MD during his freshman year, joining Lloyd Irvin’s wrestling program (led by Jim Kelly) a couple of years into his wrestling practice (2008). A decision made during his off-season as a way to stay in shape.

When training with Team Lloyd Irvin (TLI), DJ tried jiu jitsu classes to keep things interesting and to add something new to his grappling game. Jackson’s talent caught Irvin’s attention at one of these classes; the head coach immediately asked DJ to helping some of the more advanced students train for a no-gi tournament that was coming up, where DJ’s wrestling ability could be of great help. DJ Jackson started getting more involved in jiu jitsu through this initial contact with TLI’s “Medal Chasers” program.

With a natural grinding style, very suited for his body frame, DJ started terrorising local and international competitions, first in no-gi and shortly after in the gi also. DJ’s progression through this martial art’s ranking was well above the sport’s average, greatly thanks to Jackson’s continuous victories in the competitive scene. These ultimately led to him receiving his black belt 4 years time (2012).

On his way to black belt, DJ also fought in mixed martial arts (MMA), a subject that always interested the “Ram-Man”. Jackson has trained with many well regarded cage fighters, including Phil Davis, Mike Easton, Michael Chandler, Dominic Cruz and many others.