Since being resigned to the UFC, Dustin Jacoby has been on a tear. He’s unbeaten in his last six fights with the only blemish being a split draw against Ion Cutelaba. However, despite this amazing run, Jacoby only finds himself just cracking the top 15 of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. While the ranking panelists don’t seem to be doing him any favors, neither does the UFC’s matchmaking team.
Although the streak is impressive, he finds himself against a tough opponent ranked below him on a similar streak. Da Un Jung does not yet have a number next to his name, but is also unbeaten (only in five fights instead of six). Still, Jacoby bears no ill will, especially since he’s had opportunities to fight up in the division that just didn’t work out.
“After my last fight in March, they offered me a couple of higher ranked guys – guys in the top 15,” Jacoby explained. “It was for the middle of June and I wasn’t going to be ready in time with the injury I had going on in my legs from the last camp and the last fight.”
And while this may not be the fight up in the division that many in his position would be looking for, Jacoby is excited about the matchup. Some of that is the ability to defend the spot he feels he’s earned. Some is that he’s already had his eye on Jung.
“They’ve actually offered Jung a couple of different times in the past, but for whatever reason it just didn’t work out,” he said. “It was a couple of short notice opportunities on my end and the timing just didn’t work out. He’s been on the radar and I knew there’d be a clash sooner or later.”
It wound up being sooner. When asked why he likes a matchup with a guy like Jung, Jacoby said it has to do with how tough he is and the style he knows he’ll bring.
“I like the matchup. Jung is a tough guy. He’s a durable guy. He’s an up and coming guy. I think he’s a guy they’re wanting to push,” Jacoby said. “He’s a striker first – he’s a standup guy. Of course, I enjoy going in there with guys who like to strike. He’s more of a boxer… but he just kind of tries to do what you do.”
You can catch Jacoby and Jung as part of the prelims of UFC Long Island this Saturday on ESPN+ and ABC.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 32:28.
