Dustin Jacoby (20-9-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) had a lot to overcome before his work paid off in spectacular fashion with a stunning one-punch knockout of Vitor Petrino at UFC Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
“The Hanyak” was a sizeable betting underdog against the up-and-coming Petrino, he had lost four of five, and he lost a valuable week of training after suffering a gruesome toe injury in training that had him briefly contemplating pulling out of a fight for the first time in a professional career spanning more than 50 fights between MMA and kickboxing.
Jacoby pushed through the pain and it paid off, as he earned a stunning upset KO and a $50K Performance of the Night bonus.
Jacoby recalled his first UFC win ever – a TKO over Justin Ledet in his second stint with the promotion on Halloween in 2020. He celebrated his win over Petrino the same way he did over Ledet four years ago.
“I was in my buddy’s pool,” Jacoby told MMASucka. “I’ll never forget that Sunday after that win [over Ledet]. I put my head underwater and I just screamed, ‘Yes, we did it! We finally did it!’ I proved to myself I could do it. [This Sunday], I was in my buddy’s pool and I did the same thing. I went under and was like, ‘Yes, man, we did it!’ [The win over Petrino] is certainly up there, man. There have been a lot of good moments. That’s what we do it for. It makes you feel alive, and I certainly felt alive in there on Saturday night.”
Jacoby pulled off one of the most spectacular wins of his career after there was a chance he might not make it to the fight.
Three weeks ago in sparring, Jacoby ripped his toe. Brutally. He was watching the UFC card that Saturday night.
“I was laying there cooped up on the couch, my toe was up, and it was fricking throbbing. The worst pain you can imagine,” he said. “I was a big, big baby, not wanting to move or do anything. I was watching the guys fight and I was like, ‘Man, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to do that in three weeks.’ That’s when I was really nervous.”
Jacoby had never pulled out before in his entire combat sports career.
“I’ve never not shown up on the night I said I was going to be there after signing that contract,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in it. There was a little bit of doubt. There was a week where I wasn’t walking, training, running. Nothing.”
Jacoby’s coach, Marc Montoya, posted to Instagram about Jacoby’s injury following the fight. Jacoby needed 10 stitches, Montoya said.
“The injury was reminiscent of what Jon Jones did to his toe in the fight versus Chael Sonnen,” Montoya wrote. “[Jacoby] couldn’t walk, run, train… nothing! But, he overcame it all! He etched a forever memory and dared greatly. What an inspirational man and human. He saw it through! I’m forever grateful for you, DJ! You followed a plan and never wavered. Thank you for making ME feel alive. I’m forever indebted. What an epic performance! Love ya, dawg!”
Jacoby’s toe began to feel a little bit better a week after suffering the injury.
“That next week of training, I was like, ‘If I want to fight, I’ve got to show up to training. I’ve got to be there and work my ass off.’ I was able to,” he said.
While Jacoby lost a week of mobility, he said he “fortunately” does not cut a lot of weight. He walks around at 220 pounds, so he had a couple of weeks to reach to 206-pound light heavyweight limit.
“I guess to some people, that seems like a fair amount [of weight to cut],” he said. “But to me, that’s nothing, man. I do everything in my power to walk around at 220. I eat properly while preparing for the battle ahead. I drink a gallon of water a day. That weight comes off me pretty easily. The weight cut was never a worry on my end. It was just a matter of whether or not I could perform at the level that needed to be done. At the end of the day, I decided I would be able to do that. Once you make that decision, then you’ve got no option. The toe didn’t feel the best, but you’ve got to go out there and give it your all, and that’s what I did.”
Jacoby and Petrino fought two relatively even rounds, each taking a cautious approach. Then, with less than a minute-and-a-half in the fight, Jacoby landed a right cross that put Petrino down and out.
Jacoby said Petrino is big and dangerous, but said he was green like he thought he would be heading into the fight.
“He’s 27 years old. I was that 27-year-old kid,” Jacoby said. “Not to mention, he was coming off a loss. His first loss. He was undefeated and coming off his first loss. I know how hard that hits you. I know how hard it shakes your confidence and your belief in yourself, especially at that point in his career. I told him afterward, ‘Man, you’re a tough kid, you’re a great fighter.’ I’m obviously toward the end of my career. I say that, but I’ve still got a few good years. I’m definitely on my way out a lot quicker than he is. I told him, ‘When I’m gone, you’re just getting started.’ I remember when I was 27. He’s just getting started. I told him to keep his head up and all the best to him.”
Jacoby said his victory over Petrino is “certainly up there” with the most satisfying wins of his combat sports career. Jacoby, mired in a tough stretch, knew he needed to get back on track with a win. He entered the bout as a +250 underdog, to boot.
“Anytime you get a big knockout, it’s a highlight moment of your career,” he said. “In this situation, with my back up against the wall; it was the biggest ticket I’ve ever cashed as a dog; and I had a lot of those who truly believe in me there. That’s why I do it man. That’s exactly why I do it, man. That’s exactly why I step foot in there. To prove myself and those who believe in me right. It was just a really special moment, man. It was definitely one of the best in my career.”
Jacoby compared the Petrino fight to his UFC debut win over Ledet, his KO over Kennedy Nzechukwu, and the night he made his Glory Kickboxing debut.
“The first time I ever fought in Glory, I fought three fights in one night. I won all three fights by knockout. I won my first big check ever in my fight career. I kicked it off huge in Glory.”
Jacoby said he feels “really good” a few days after the win and said he did the “absolute best” he could have done given the circumstances.
“I capitalized the best I could have. I was telling my wife about it last night. That’s what’s crazy. There’s nothing I could have done better but still feel like – it’s why I’m at where I’m at – I’m a little unsatisfied in the sense that you always want more, man. You always want more, more, more. I was extremely happy with where I am and the position I’ve put myself in. Here we are just enjoying it, reaping the benefits.”
Jacoby said he was so dialed into his own upcoming bout, he wasn’t registering that other fighters were pulling off T/KO wins in the fights before his.
“Usually, the thought registers, like ‘That’s a bonus,’ ‘Oh, that’s a bonus.’ That night, it never even crossed my mind,” he said.
It didn’t register until after his KO, Jacoby saw UFC CEO Dana White.
“I said, ‘Dana, bossman, you think that was bonus worthy?‘” Jacoby recalled. “He looks at me and goes, ‘For you? For that? For what just happened? F–k yeah.’ I knew right then and there that I was going to get it. I wasn’t even stressing over it. I got back to the hotel, and everybody’s like, ‘You got the bonus!’ All my friends and family are excited, like, ‘You got the bonus,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know. I knew I was going to.’ I solidified that in the cage with Dana, so I would’ve been a little upset if I didn’t. I’m very thankful to the UFC. I’m thankful I was able to go out there and capitalize and take advantage of that opportunity.”
Jacoby thanked Jesus Christ on the microphone after his win and further discussed his rejuvenated spirituality.
“I’ve always been a believer,” Jacoby said. “I’ve always been a guy who’s believed in Him. I’ve always tried to do well, but I’ve been going to a new church. My pastor is an extremely inspirational person and a great leader of men. I’ve been following in his footsteps and I’ve been taking that a little more seriously. It helps me as a person, in my career, my marriage, everything. It’s not that I’ve been too far away from that my entire life, but you could always be better.”
Jacoby pulled back the curtain a bit for two moments that night that will stick with him.
Michael Johnson, the other fighter to earn a Performance of the Night bonus after his scorching KO of Ottman Azaitar, was in the same locker room as Jacoby on Saturday.
Jacoby recalled sharing a card with Johnson at the United Center in Chicago in January 2012. Jacoby lost to Chris Camozzi and was cut from the UFC after the fight.
“Michael Johnson never got cut,” Jacoby said. “He’s been in the UFC ever since. It was really cool going up to him and we were sharing that moment. I was telling him how much of an inspiration he was to me. I was like, ‘Keep killing it, bro. You’re a huge inspiration to a lot of people. He goes out there and gets a big finish, a big knockout.’ I was like, ‘Hell, yeah.’ He had the same locker room, so it was a really good vibe. Then I go out there and do the same thing. Those are little moments people don’t get to see. I get to live in them, and they’re pretty special.”
Jacoby said the other cool moment was sharing a locker room with Cub Swanson, a legend of the sport, who knocked out Billy Quarantillo in what could be Swanson’s last fight.
“I could tell just by the way he was acting all week,” Jacoby said. “Then he came into the locker room and shook every one of our hands. Every guy who was still in the locker room. You could tell he was really in the moment and really like, ‘Man, I’m going to miss this sh–. I love this sh–. I appreciate that you guys are here.’ Again, man, another moment people don’t get to see that will forever be etched into my memory. That’s really special.”
So what’s next for Dustin Jacoby?
“The Hanyak” said nothing comes to mind as far as the next opponent.
“You’ve got the obvious ones. Ryan Spann, a lot of people bring that fight up. I’m just going to let the game come to me. I’ve never said no to anybody ever. They’re going to come with a name, and I’m going to say ‘Sure,’ we’re going to sign the dotted line and get back after it. Nobody in mind. I don’t feel the need to call anybody out. It is what it is, man. In order to be the best, you’ve got to fight the best. Whoever that is is what’s going to be next.”
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