LAS VEGAS – Stepping in on short notice is nothing new for Dustin Jacoby, and he’ll do it again against Ion Cutelaba at UFC on ESPN 23.
“I’ve actually stepped in on 24 hours’ notice before (in kickboxing), and that was three fights in one night,” Jacoby told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC on ESPN 23 media day on Wednesday. “I won all three, so I typically do well on short notice.”
Jacoby (14-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets Cutelaba (15-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout on Saturday’s main card, and it’s a matchup that gets his blood flowing. Striking specialist Jacoby welcomes anyone who wants to stand, and with 11 first-round knockouts on his record, Cutelaba certainly fits the bill.
Cutelaba has let his overexcitement compromise him before, though, and Jacoby said he’ll be looking to bring that side out when they meet in the octagon.
“I think he’s an emotional guy,” Jacoby said. “All the way from the weigh-ins are pretty dramatic, and he goes out there and he tries putting you away early. He swings for the fences. I think I can expose that a little bit. I think his emotional state of mind is somewhat of a weakness for him, and it expends a lot of energy. If I can go out there and be cool, calm and collected and weather that storm early on, I think I have a great chance of beating this guy.”
UFC on ESPN 23 takes place at the UFC Apex. The entire card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
Watch the video above for Jacoby’s entire UFC on ESPN 23 media day interview.
Dustin Jacoby plans to ‘expose’ Ion Cutelaba’s emotions at UFC on ESPN 23
