Though he built a reputation and a great deal of buzz for himself as he progressed up the ranks for his attacking style and carried that over into his black belt career, it has really been since he became the breakout star of the UFC BJJ promotion that the 22-year-old has risen to a whole new level of recognition and notoriety.
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“I’m getting recognized by people that don’t even train — like moms; random shopping center moms,” Tackett said with an indelible smile painted on his face. “‘Andrew Tackett?!’ I’m like, ‘How do you know me?’ and they’re like, ‘I saw you on my kid’s Instagram!’ It’s pretty cool.”
He laughed, recalling the increasingly familiar reaction.
“The recognition has been pretty awesome. I’m trying not to (take it for granted); I’m trying to stay humble, trying to be the same person I have always been, and just keep it going.
“It’s pretty dope, man; I can’t lie,” he added. “This past six months, I’ve blown up so much, it’s just nothing but blessings. It’s really cool.”
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Tackett’s rise in prominence coincides with his success under the UFC BJJ banner, as he worked his way through the UFC BJJ: Road to the Title series, submitting Andy Varela in the finals to claim the welterweight strap. A month later, he retained his title with a first-round D’arce choke finish of Renato Canuto, becoming the first titleholder to successfully defend their belt.
Along the way, the engaging youngster has allowed his personality to shine through as well, making repeated appearances on the UFC Weigh-In Show, where he’s playfully picked fights with Daniel Cormier, demonstrated different techniques, and poked fun at the ingrained ideas about Brazilian jiu jitsu being a pay-for-promotion institution by becoming the sensei to host Dan Hellie, promoting the veteran broadcaster on-air last week and promising to hustle him through the ranks in the three years as long as he pays a couple hundred bucks a month.
“I’m just a personality,” began Tackett, who relocated from Austin, Texas, to Las Vegas earlier this year to take advantage of the UFC Performance Institute and the proliferation of dogged training partners available to him in the combat sports capital. “I like having fun, and any time I get the opportunity to do things, the more it can be lighthearted and funny, I will do that. I like making fun of the old, cult jiu-jitsu vibe, so I had to promote him, and I’m gonna keep doing stuff like that.
“Since I’m gonna keep winning and keep being champion, any opportunity that I have, if I can have an opinion about something, I’m expressing it. Pretty soon, I’m gonna start calling people out like ‘I don’t think you guys actually really wanna win! You guys are out here barely winning, barely getting by. Is that how you wanna win?’
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“C’mon ji jitsu! We need to start scrapping more!” he added with a smirk and a chuckle. “We need to slam people on their faces, and if you wanna go out there and foot-lock, go out there and foot-lock.”
Behind the laughter is a genuine desire to see greater action and more excitement.
Part of what has drawn people to the UFC BJJ welterweight titleholder is his relentless, attacking style inside The Bowl. His match with Canuto was a perfect example: a rollicking affair filled with takedowns and reversals, attacks and counters until Tackett was able to lace up the fight-ending choke and secure the tap.
There were no periods of inactivity, no hanging out in a dominant position, grinding time off the clock; just constant motion and effort from a pair of elite talents that was captivating to watch.
If Tackett gets his way, that’s what we’ll continue seeing more of going forward, regardless of who is competing, and if he ruffles some feathers along the way while advocating for what he believes in, so be it.
“I feel like there is no sport like jiu jitsu; the community that is in jiu jitsu is second to none. Any way that I can push the sport forward, it deserves it. If scrapping’s the way, scrapping’s the way.
“Honestly, jiu jitsu gives you the recipe to scrap more than any other sport,” continued the passionate rising star. “In wrestling, you can pin someone in three seconds; there is that ability to just get someone out of there. In MMA, there is the ability to just knock someone out.
“In jiu jitsu, if you’re both really good, it’s hard to just submit someone right away, it’s hard to just instantly beat someone, so it’s a chess match, and I think that’s why people chill and are so technical, but it’s like, ‘Man, when are we gonna start scrapping?’ There is so much to jiu jitsu — just spam it!”
He laughed at the idea of taking a live button-mashing approach on the mats.
“I’m gonna start calling people out and maybe be the bad guy towards that.”
While it’s a noble ambition, wearing the black hat doesn’t naturally suit Tackett, who has boyish good looks, an ever-present smile, and a playful personality with a healthy dose of “aw shucks” mixed in for good measure.
He’s a classic good guy figure, right down to thinking about all the sacrifices his mom and dad made for him and his brothers when he’s languishing through rigorous training sessions.
“I think what (separates) really good athletes from decent athletes is what they have in their mind when they’re going through a really hard workout, and they’re gassing out,” began Tackett, who has spoken repeatedly about his father’s work ethic and drive being a key motivating factor in his career. “I just really think about ‘my parents worked too hard for me to give up.’
“I’ll be ripping the assault bike sometimes, and I’m gassing out, and the first thing that pops into my mind is ‘don’t disappoint your dad, don’t disappoint your mom; they worked too hard.’ That fires me up every time.”
Where thoughts of his folks fire him up when he needs a push through the final moments of torturous training, the skills Dorsey brings into their match on Thursday is what gave him the anxious tingle, made accepting the opportunity to face him an absolute must.
“Elijah is extremely good with defending; everything he gets is off defending,” he said of the Team Lloyd Irvin representative. “Someone will attack something, he’ll defend it, re-attack, and it will be beautiful.
“He’s kind of the kryptonite for my style, so that’s kinda why I accepted him is that it made me really nervous, like, ‘Shoot, man — he could beat me!’”
Not that Tackett has any intention of ceding his position atop the welterweight ranks at the moment.
“As I’ve been training, as I’ve been through this camp, I’ve gotten so confident as I’ve worked my defense so much, worked my offense so much; every area of my game is locked in right now,” he added with confidence. “He’s a top pressure (guy), likes to play on top, likes passing, so as long as I take him down, and I’m on top, I’m winning.
“I know two, three minutes of me passing his guard and him defending, he’s gonna gas, so I’m looking to take him down, be on top, and as long as I’m on top, I’m winning.”
And wrapping up the year with another win is the only way that Tackett will be able to enjoy going back home to Austin for the holidays.
“Bro…” he began, taking an exaggerated pause in order to put the impact of a victory into its full and proper context. “It’s gonna mean I can go back home in December and sleep good every night.
“If I lose, it’s gonna be rough; I’m such a sore loser. If I lose, I won’t enjoy life at all. Winning will mean I’ll be thankful, I’ll be happy, and everything is working out; the training that I’ve been putting in has paid off.
“It’s gonna mean everything.”
It will also set the UFC BJJ breakout star up for even greater opportunities in 2026.
“Next year, I wanna fight at least four times,” offered Tackett, who has a wishlist of opponents that includes Jozef Chen, Kenta Iwamoto, and Mica Galvao. “I just want to be as active as I can because if I thought this year was big, next year is gonna be way bigger, and I have the opportunity for next year to be way better.
“I’m looking to lock in, not really have a life outside of training next year,” he added. “Train, get better, and keep my belt. If I can do that, then it’s been a successful year.”
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