Dustin Jacoby believes he made a “statement” with first-round knockout over Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Nashville

Dustin Jacoby says his back was against the wall at UFC Nashville.

Jacoby was taking on Kennedy Nzechukwu in a pivotal fight for his career, as the former Glory kickboxer was on a two-fight losing skid. Although Jacoby was still in the light heavyweight rankings, he believed he was likely fighting for his job on Saturday.

“I knew my back was against the wall. But, as far as the pressure, I just worked hard and did everything I did to prepare. Anytime I’m properly prepared I believe I am going to win the fight,” Jacoby said to BJPENN.com.

With Jacoby feeling his back was against the wall, he wanted to make a statement and start fast. Yet, he was surprised Kennedy Nzechukwu was the one who came out with his gas pedal to the floor. But, as they were trading, Jacoby landed a perfectly timed punch that dropped Nzechukwu and he ended up finishing him off with ground strikes in less than 90 seconds.

“I didn’t really feel it, but when I watch it in slow motion, it was on the kisser. It was actually thrown perfectly, we worked that punch in practice and worked on my hand speed in practice,” Jacoby said. “I was able to draw him in and moved my head back perfectly and threw the one-two. I had to see the replay to see if it landed clean. But I saw him go down and I followed him down to get the finish. All he was doing was covering hard, he wasn’t doing anything else but covering his head, so I wasn’t surprised to see the ref stop it then.”

It was a massive win for Dustin Jacoby, and he says his UFC Nashville performance couldn’t have gone any better.

“I was very happy with the performance and very pleased with the outcome. Anytime you get a first-round finish in less than 90 seconds, it’s obviously big. I was going in there to make a statement and I did just that,” Jacoby said.

With Dustin Jacoby getting the first-round finish, he hopes a top-10 opponent is next. He also knows the light heavyweight division is in need of contenders, so he’s excited to see what’s next for him.

“I think it catapults me,” Jacoby said. “I put myself in a great position, I have two more wins like that (I’m in title contention). Timing is everything and timing has never been better with the top of the division being injured or not fighting.”