Athletes
Dustin Jacoby Chasing Exciting Opportunities
Light Heavyweight Veteran Eager To Head To Australia To Kick Off 2026 Campaign
Dustin Jacoby’s 31st professional mixed martial arts bout will make the first time that he’s competed in MMA outside of the United States.
“That’s crazy; I never even thought about that, to be honest,” said the Colorado native, who ventures to Sydney, Australia later this month for a showdown with Jimmy Crute as part of UFC 325 fight card. “I had a lot of opportunities outside of the States with Glory Kickboxing, so fighting in enemy territory, foreign territory is nothing new to me.
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“I’m excited for this matchup and that’s one thing that fired me up about this fight was being able to fight Jimmy Crute in Australia, in his homeland. The thought of making that walk gives me chills; that’s what fires me up. Early in my career, I called myself ‘The Road Warrior’ — I loved fighting on the road, I loved fighting in peoples’ hometowns; I thrive in the chaos. When I heard about this matchup, the first thing I thought about was making that walk and it’s a no-brainer; I love the opportunity.
“I’d love to silence that crowd at the end of it,” Jacoby added with a laugh, before quickly shifting back to his good guy roots. “Hey — I’ll do a shoey! They’re gonna hate me going in, but I think I’ll gain some fans after the fight win, lose or draw because of how I fight; I always bring it.”
That ability to frequently deliver entertaining fights is something that has endeared Jacoby to fight fans over the last several years and made his second run in the UFC even more of a feel-good comeback story.
Now 37 years old, the Colorado native first stepped into the Octagon at UFC 137 in October 2011, dropping a unanimous decision to Clifford Starks. At the time, he was 6-0 and 23 years old.
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“I got there way too quick and hadn’t been through it yet,” Jacoby said. “I had never been taken down in a fight before my first UFC fight. I had never thrown an elbow or been hit by an elbow before my first UFC fight.”
After getting let go following two fights in the Octagon, he stayed active, claiming the CFFC middleweight title with a knockout win over future UFC competitor Tim Williams, fought David Branch on the first World Series of Fighting event, and continued competing in the cage off and on until early 2015. Along the way, Jacoby landed an opportunity to compete under the Glory Kickboxing banner despite knowing nothing about the elite striking organization at the time.
He won a one-night tournament to earn a contract and went on to spend the next several years facing some of the elites in the sport, including current UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira and Canadian standout Simon Marcus. In the summer of 2019, he made his return to MMA, beating former UFC heavyweight Cody East in the King of Sparta heavyweight series, landing a chance to compete on the fourth season of Dana White’s Contender Series.
A unanimous decision win over Colorado-based prospect Ty Flores earned him a call back to the Octagon, and Jacoby has cemented his position on the roster ever since, kicking off his second stint with the promotion with a 7-fight unbeaten streak that carried him into the Top 15 before a rough patch dropped him out of the rankings.
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He got things moving in the right direction again with a violent knockout win over Vitor Petrino on the final fight card of 2024 and seemed to be building some momentum with a quick first-round knockout win at the end of May, only for a broken hand to send him to the sidelines for the remainder of 2025.
“Being a veteran does make it easier — I’ve been through it all, seen it all — but it was unfortunate,” he said. “When I fought in May, it was a great knockout of Bruno Lopes in the first round, only a couple minutes of work, but I broke my left hand, and it gave me fits throughout the year… Crute had called me out a couple fights ago and I was like, ‘Let’s do it in November at Madison Square Garden,’ but then October came around and I was like, ‘My hand is not gonna be ready for Madison Square Garden,’ and they had the Perth card that they wanted him on. It never lined up, but I’ve got the opportunity to fight him now since we’re going back to Australia later this month.”
The combination of facing someone that called him out a couple times and doing so in their backyard was too good of an opportunity for Jacoby to pass up at this point in his career, where he’s focused on matchups that get him excited and situations that differ from the typical Saturday night at the office.
“The main goal is to have some unique opportunities,” he said. “That’s what’s cool about this matchup is that it’s in Australia. At 37, I like fights that fire me up, get me excited, and being able to travel to Australia and fight Jimmy Crute on his home turf gets me excited.
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“He’s just a tough competitor. I know every time I’ve seen him fight — even back to his Contender Series fight before I was even back in the UFC — I remember thinking ‘this kid’s tough; it’d be a great matchup.’
“He’s had an up-and-down career: he came in and started off hot, was more of a brawler, but since taking some time off and having a resurgence, he’s come back to full grappling mode, and I fully anticipate him trying to take me down from the opening bell. That’s something I’m gonna have to deal with and he’s gonna have to deal with as well.
“Crute’s a guy that starts very strong — he’s a bully as well, especially in Round 1 — but he tends to fade a little bit,” added the Factory X representative. “His style uses up cardio, man, and he’s got some muscle too, whereas I keep it moving on the feet and my cardio is always good ‘til the end. It’s a very interesting matchup and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
After being limited to just a single appearance last year — and only two in 2024 — Jacoby is hopeful that a relatively early start to his 2026 campaign will mean a chance to log three or more appearances this year. First up is his UFC 325 pairing with Crute, and provided all goes well there, “The Hanyak” knows when and where he’d like his second fight of the year to take place.
“A big goal of mine is to get back into the Top 15, so get a big knockout of Jimmy Crute, get an opportunity at the White House and see where it goes; the division is wide open,” he said with a smile. “Big picture, I know I’m at the end of my career, but I’ve still got some fight in me and I’m excited to go out there and take advantage of the opportunities ahead.”
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