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Mixed-martial arts trainer Greg Jackson is a busy man.

On Tuesday, Jackson was in Hollywood, Fla., where his fighter, Nathan Marquardt, fought and won on a Ultimate Fighting Championship card.

On Thursday, Jackson landed in Las Vegas, Nev., where another of his fighters, Keith Jardine, will take his turn in the Octagon tonight on a UFC pay-per-view show.

On Sunday, he'll be back in Albuquerque, but only for a few days before returning to Las Vegas midweek when yet another of his fighters takes part in the first U.S. card for PRIDE Fighting Championships.

Jackson is beginning to attract national attention for his Gaidojutsu fighting system and pack of fighters who are putting New Mexico on the map the way Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero Jr. once did for boxing.

This year, Jackson will end the year with no less than half-a-dozen fighters within reach of some of the biggest titles in mixed-martial arts. Next year, more will be on the way.

"Things have gotten crazy," Jackson said Wednesday during a telephone interview from Florida while he was on his way to the airport, and Las Vegas.

"But busy is good. There's a whole lot of talent here, and as long as we keep fighting, keep winning, we'll get there."

Tonight marks one more step for Jardine (11-3-1), the Duke City light heavyweight known as "The Dean of Mean."

Jardine faces "Ultimate Fighter" Season 3 contestant Mike Nickels (4-1).

"Nickels is a tough guy," Jackson said. "He's well-rounded, good at submissions and can deal with power."

Despite his relative lack of fight experience, Jackson said Nickels is a dangerous foe.

"Records are deceiving in MMA," Jackson said. "Look at BJ Penn - he's 13-4 and one of the best fighters on the planet. We're not looking past Nickels.

"But Keith is doing really well. They (the UFC) really like him because he's such an exciting fighter. Both he and Rashad (Evans) are climbing their way up to a title shot."

Evans (9-0), an Albuquerque transplant from Lansing, Mich., is also on the verge of a title shot in the light heavyweight division (205 pounds) against the most recognized name in the UFC, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (19-3).

One division below, at 185, are two Jackson fighters: one hoping to carve his way through PRIDE, the other established in the UFC.

Albuquerque's Joey Villasenor (22-4) is slated to fight his toughest fight yet on Oct. 21 on "The Real Deal," a PRIDE PPV card in Las Vegas. He faces former UFC favorite Robbie Lawler (11-4). Lawler has been 3-1 since he left the UFC in 2004.

Villasenor, perhaps the biggest banger out of New Mexico in MMA, is coming off a win over journeyman John Cronk (14-14) and a controversial loss to Ryo Chonan (12-7) in Japan on a PRIDE card in July.

Also at 185 is Aurora, Colo., fighter Nathan Marquardt (22-6-2), now part of the Duke City team, who on Tuesday night took out Crafton Wallace (11-3-1) by submission.

Marquardt has UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin (21-1) in his sights. Marquardt will be in Vegas tonight not only to cheer on stablemate Jardine, but to watch the champ defend his title against Anderson Silva (16-4) in the main event.

At welterweight (170 pounds), New Mexico might have its most-promising champion, Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez, who is currently in Mexico City polishing his boxing skills with the Mexican Olympic team.

With a record of 17-0, Sanchez is one of the sport's few remaining undefeated fighters.

"Diego is real close," said Jackson, who added that a title fight might happen as early as spring.

On Nov. 18, UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (40-4) will defend against Georges St. Pierre (12-1). Sanchez's name is being mentioned as the next challenger.

But first, Sanchez faces another stern test when he headlines a Spike TV show Dec. 13 against Joe "Diesel" Riggs (25-8).

In his last outing in August, Sanchez overcame a sluggish start to defeat would-be title challenger Karo Parisyan (15-4).

Also emerging in MMA is heavyweight Dan "The Sandman" Christison (8-4), who will be out of the picture until his knee heals from recent surgery. Christison is coming off a highly disputed decision to former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir (9-2) on the "UFC 61" card in July. Before that fight, Christison scored an upset over "Ultimate Fighter" Season 2 finalist Brad Imes (5-2).

Cozzone owns and operates NewMexicoBoxing.com. You can reach him at chris@cozzone.com