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Dustin Jacoby Stays Focused On What He Can Control
Light Heavyweight Dustin Jacoby Maintains A Positive Outlook And Hopes To Pick Up Back-To-Back Wins At UFC Fight Night Blanchfield vs Barber
Dustin Jacoby is the nicest guy in the world, but you’ve got to wonder when he’s going to stop picking on these young bucks in the UFC.
“Man, as soon as they stop picking on me,” he laughs. “They're always wanting to start a fight. So I got to go out there and show 'em how it's done.”
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Fresh from a Performance of the Night knockout of Vitor Petrino last December, “The Hanyak” will now look to put a mark in the loss column of Bruno Lopes on Saturday at the APEX in Las Vegas. Lopes, at 32, isn’t exactly young, but he’s young to the UFC, and on the rise in the light heavyweight division. The owner of wins over Petrino, Kennedy Nzechukwu, Da-un Jung and Michal Oleksiejczuk may just say beating a guy like that is his specialty.
“I've been in there before,” said the 37-year-old when asked what his edge is on fight night against an up and comer. “I know what it takes to be losing and to come out on top. And I think that, at the end of the day, I'm just resilient. I'm not going to go away, and the fight has 15 minutes for a reason. If I don't get him out of there early in the first, I'll be there late in the third. And I think that surprises some people.”
What may also surprise opponents is that despite not being one of the bigger competitors at 205 pounds, Jacoby can more than hold his own when it comes to speed and strength.
“These guys got me by 20 pounds every single time we step in there, but frame wise, I can compete, and I think I'm quicker than it appears and I definitely think I'm stronger,” he said. “(Against Petrino), we tied up and he tried taking me down early in that first round. I made him pay for it. I shucked him off and hit him with a couple quick shots and I knew that set the tone for the whole fight. I knew right then and there that he thought to himself, ‘Holy s**t, we're in a fight.’ And I think I surprise these guys with my speed and my strength. It’s the same with this matchup with Bruno Lopes. He's not a great wrestler, but he is a great grappler and the guy's 14-1. So he obviously is dangerous, and he finds a way to get it done. But I think that he's going to realize that I'm harder to take down than what it may seem, even though if you go look at all my fights, it's not like guys have been able to take me down. Ion Cutelaba did for one round. I got up every single time. I think he set a light heavyweight record for eight takedowns in the first round, but I was never held there. I got up each and every time and that really makes them work.”
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That work is just fine with the Coloradan, who has been doing this professionally since 2010, and even fought at a high level in kickboxing for several years. And despite the ups and downs of the fight game, he’s managed to stay positive through it all. That’s rare.
“A superpower of mine is being able to easily forget and to forgive and to move on,” he said. “I guess I don't forget (Laughs), but to forgive and just be lighthearted, enjoy the process, and be able to keep a good attitude. That's one thing that I can control. I've always been told from a young age that I can control my attitude and I can control how I react to situations and control what I can control. A lot of things are out of my control. What I can control is everything I do between now and May 31st, and that's getting prepared properly, showing up in great shape like I do every single time and staying on top of my diet, staying on top of my workouts, my recovery, and just staying positive through it all.”
Through it all? Well, there was that Tuesday in the Factory X gym.
“I had one heck of a day,” Jacoby laughs. “I had a private with coach at nine and that ran a little bit long and I was drenched in sweat, had already been going for an hour. Then we hop right into wrestling practice and I'm thinking we're getting towards the end of wrestling practice. And I know I have another bike workout, which is extremely exhausting. But at the end of wrestling practice, our coach goes, ‘All right, you're going to get with your partner, and nobody's leaving until each of you get seven takedowns.”
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Jacoby’s partner? UFC middleweight and former collegiate wrestler Cody Brundage.
“I was just defeated right then and there, and I'm kind of bitching,” Jacoby said. “I'm 37 years old. What am I doing? Grinding through a wrestling practice after I've already trained on top of it for an hour with coach and I have to go next door for this bike workout. I was kind of feeling sorry for myself. It was one of those moments that I look back on and I wasn't really proud of myself. So that's another thing. Anytime I act like that, I am able to recognize it and I'm able to flip the script real quick and I'm able to change my attitude because that's the only thing I can't control. And that's something that, like I said, has been a superpower of mine, and it's not always easy, but I definitely do my best to find the best in everything.”
I take it Brundage didn’t give him a break at all?
“Hell no, he didn't,” laughs Jacoby. “Wrestling's his thing, and then when he wants to prove dominance over someone, he's just an a**hole. (Laughs) But kudos to him, he made me better that day, but the session sucked.”
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Jacoby goes on to praise his teammate and explain how he’s got a bright future and long career in the UFC, because that’s just who Dustin Jacoby is. But for 15 minutes or less tomorrow, he plans on being the meanest SOB in the world against Bruno Lopes.
And when it’s over, he’ll probably buy him a beer.
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