MMA fighter Jeff Creighton honored to "represent" Jacksonville as he climbs the ranks

Jeff Creighton hasn’t lived in Jacksonville since after his freshman year of high school, but he proudly calls the city and the state of North Carolina his home.

In fact, Creighton is so passionate about his roots that he has a tattoo of the Tar Heel state inside his left arm. The ink serves as a reminder of where he came from and where he aspires to go in his career as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

“It is important to me to represent where I came from,” Creighton said.

Creighton, who turns 28 on Sept. 29, has fond memories of his time in Jacksonville, where he attended Summersill Elementary, New Bridge Middle and Jacksonville High schools.

But Creighton now lives in Valley Center, CA., about 45 minutes from San Diego, where he continues to work up the MMA ranks with hopes of one day being a champion at one of the major promotions.

Earlier this month, Creighton defeated Ozzie Alvarez via unanimous decision at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, CA., to win the welterweight championship belt for A1 Combat, a California-based organization that allows young MMA professionals and seasoned veterans to build their fighting resume and impress more world-renowned platforms.

And in March, Creighton upset previously undefeated Joey Davis via a split decision in Bellator 293 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. While Davis hadn’t fought in a little over two years, he was a 10-to-1 favorite according to Las Vegas betting odds and was the top prospect for Bellator, the country’s second largest MMA promotion.

From Jacksonville to the octagon

Creighton was born in Laguna Hills, CA., but his military family moved to Jacksonville when he was three months old.

Creighton was four when his family transferred to Virginia, but returned to Jacksonville before he entered the third grade. He stayed in town until before his sophomore year at Jacksonville when the family moved back to San Diego.

And while Creighton hasn’t resided in Jacksonville for several years, he is remembered by his former coaches.

“Jeff was a great student athlete,” said Joey Mahouchick, Creighton’s New Bridge soccer coach. “He was an intense individual, very focused and so coachable.”

Soccer was the only sport Creighton played until the seventh grade, but he had an interest in combat sports at an early age. He fell in love with wrestling in middle school and he continued grappling in his first year in high school under coach Mark Holbrook.

“Jeff was and still is an extremely hard worker,” Holbrook said. “His family values and his family’s support were always important.”

To enhance his combat sport skills, Creighton trained at the Combat Club in Jacksonville, but his time there was short as his family moved to California. He wrestled for Poway High until his senior season, knowing that he had a better future outside of the sport.

“So, when I turned 18, I decided that I was just going to go fight,” Creighton said. “That is when things started to progress.”

Creighton made his MMA debut on May 4, 2018, with a unanimous loss to Nick Angeloni at Viejas Casino and Resort in Alpine, CA. He lost, but his career as a fighter had begun. One month later, he earned his first victory with a first-period submission over Chris Sandt at California Cage Wars in Valley Center.

Creighton is now 8-2-1 while fighting for A1 Combat but hopes to sign a larger deal following a possible merger with Bellator and Professional Fighters League. The PFL has a partnership with ESPN.

“You have to start somewhere, and you have to have a vision,” Creighton said.

That vision is sometimes hard to see by the behind-the-scenes challenges facing Creighton.

While MMA fans see the glory and money well-known fighters receive, those making their way put in just as many long hours training, but with less income to show. While Creighton credits his wife and coaches Joe Stevenson and Nathan Corbett along with other “so many great men in my life” who support him, he said the sport can also make him feel “lonely to a certain level,” because ultimately his future all depends on how he does by himself in the octagon.

“I always say that you are one bad fight away from hanging it up,” Creighton said. “I say that because every fight at the beginning of your career is the most important one of your life. I have good momentum, but it only takes one slip up for the ship to crash. But I won’t let that happen. That is what drives me.”

The mindset of a fighter

Creighton said he puts himself in a “dark place” before every fight.

“My mindset is that the guy is trying to take what I have been working so hard for,” he said. “It is not personal, but then again it is.”

That is when Creighton’s animalistic nature kicks in. From the moment he makes his way to the octagon and fights his opponent, nothing is on his mind except for his foe. Then inside that tiny space, it is one-on-one and may the best man win.

“I think being inside the cage is one of the most realistic things there is in the world,” he said. “I can BS an essay or a job interview, but being in there, it will show if you put in the work or not. There is nothing more real than that because if you don’t put in the work, there is real consequences.”

Then post-fight, Creighton’s adrenaline settles down, he shakes his opponent’s hand, and he makes his way back into the locker room. It “is the best feeling ever, especially when people said you would lose,” following a victory, and Creighton chuckled when reminded that his upset wins have likely made MMA betters equally as pleased.

The defeats, however, outweigh the wins.

“You feel raw emotion and disappointment when you lose,” Creighton said. “You have to dig deep when you think if you really want to keep doing this or not.”

Creighton added that even the great fighters experience self-doubt during their careers. The key to overcoming it, he said, was remembering the reason for fighting.

“I want to accomplish being a world champion,” Creighton said. “And I want to put Jacksonville, North Carolina on the map while I do it.”

Creighton can be found on Instagram @jazzyjeffcreaighton.