Heavyweight, Richard Jacobi (5-0)
Pros
- Heavy hands
- Good ground and pound
- Keeps hands up
- Good pocket striker
- Dangerous in burst
- Capable counter striker
Cons
- Stands a little squared
- Lacks footwork
- Low output
- A bit stiff
Jacobi has a good-looking undefeated MMA record and a good kickboxing record to back it up with. Jacobi is a five-time Brazilian champion, a four-time Brazilian Cup Champion, a two-time South American Champion, and a Panamerican three-time champion in kickboxing. He hasn’t even been fighting in MMA for a year and already has five fights.
The guys he’s beat are the bottom of the barrel from the Brazilian regional scene. The best guy he beat had a 2-0 record and it went the distance. Even though Jacobi has low volume he still has four first-round finishes. It’s when he does decide to throw he’s very dangerous. Jacobi has power and will throw combinations. He keeps his hands up but comes in on straight lines asking to be hit.
I’m just not sold on Jacobi just yet because he’s looked just alright against low-level competition. Too much is unknown with him and his style at heavyweight just won’t translate well. Maybe at kickboxing but not MMA. He’s still young for heavyweight and the division is thin so he still could find his way into the UFC or Bellator one day.
In conclusion, I’ll be adding Otar Tanzilov and Sabrina Laurentina De Souza to my prospect list.
