Jackson McVey finally broke through in the UFC with a statement finish, submitting Sedriques Dumas in the first round at UFC Fight Night 274 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
McVey locked up a D'Arce choke on the prelims to earn his first victory in the promotion, in what was one of just two finishes on the entire card. The win also came with a guaranteed $100,000 performance bonus.
"To get this win means a lot, especially because I felt like I didn’t really showcase my grappling very well in either of those fights," McVey said. "I won this fight by submission, and it just kind of rights that wrong, in my eyes. I feel like, 'All right, cool – I've got a submission now.' I’m feeling good – first round … let’s do it."
McVey entered the bout at 7-2 in MMA and 0-2 in the UFC, with both prior Octagon appearances ending in submission losses to Brunno Ferreira and Zach Reese. Dumas came in at 10-5 in MMA and 3-5 in the UFC.
McVey credited his work at The MMA Lab under head coach John Crouch, alongside influences Benson Henderson and Rob Emerson. "Everybody on that team — it really is a family. John Crouch has really taken me under his wing. Being around people like Rob Emerson and Benson Henderson just really changes your perspective on a lot of stuff. The Lab was a huge part of that. Obviously, I appreciate my former coaches and everything they taught me, but being surrounded by that environment has been a huge step for me, and this is just the beginning."
