ELMONT, N.Y. – Dustin Jacoby has had plenty of fights between MMA and kickboxing, so when he had some nerves ahead of his UFC on ABC 3 bout, it may have seemed strange.
With an eight-fight unbeaten streak since his return to MMA after a kickboxing foray, including a 5-0-1 run in the UFC, he got a step up in competition Saturday. Jacoby (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) rose to the occasion with a first-round one-punch knockout of Da-un Jung (15-3-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC), which got him his first UFC post-fight bonus, to boot.
Jung hadn’t lost a fight since his third pro bout nearly seven years ago in his home country of South Korea. In the UFC, he was out to a 4-0-1 start with three finishes before he ran into Jacob’s fist.
“They had offered Jung, and I knew it was going to be a tough test,” Jacoby told MMA Junkie at his post-fight news conference. “I knew he was solid, had that long unbeaten streak, and very worthy. I just put it in my mind I had to defend my spot.
“Jumping in the top 15 and fighting that fight first – it’s pretty risky. I had more nerves this fight than usual, but I’m such a veteran I knew they were going to work in my favor. The guy that was working my corner, part of the commission, he told me afterwards, ‘I’ve got one word for you: Composure.’ He’s like, ‘From the time I saw you walk in, you were completely composed.’ I felt cool, calm and collected and went out there and did my thing. I knew it was going to be a great day.”
Jacoby lost two UFC fights in 2011-2012 and found himself outside the promotion. In 2020, one fight into his return to MMA, he won his way back through Dana White’s Contender Series.
He’s 6-0-1 in the UFC with three knockout wins since he came back, and now with near certainty, Jacoby can expect more solid tests at light heavyweight.
Check out Jacoby’s full post-fight interview in the video above.
Dustin Jacoby had nerves he wasn’t used to before Da Un Jung fight
