Dustin Jacoby expecting to make a “statement” with KO win over Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Nashville

Dustin Jacoby is looking to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

Jacoby had his nine-fight unbeaten streak snapped back in October in a controversial split decision to Khalil Rountree. He then dropped a decision to Azamat Murzakanov back in April and after that fight, Jacoby wanted a quick turnaround.

“Yeah, I wanted to get in there fairly quick,” Jacoby said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I wanted to get the bad loss out of my mouth, the bad taste. Get back to the winning side of things. That matchup was presented to me, and I really do like the matchup for myself. Kennedy is a big, strong, powerful guy on the rise and I think it will be a great fight.”

Once Dustin Jacoby got the matchup with Kennedy Nzechukwu he was excited for it as he believes it will be a fun and entertaining fight.

‘It will be a fun fight’

Jacoby knows both he and Kennedy Nzechukwu like to stand and trade and believes both thrive when the going gets tough. However, Dustin Jacoby does think he can clip Nzechukwu from what he has seen in his past fights.

“We have fought some similar opponents and been around him in the back between my fights and his fights and cornering other fighters. I think he’s a great dude, he’s impressive,” Dustin Jacoby said. “He is a guy, when you watch his fights, he looks like he gets clipped in a lot of his fights but then he picks it up. When he gets clipped is when he starts fighting hard and when the fight gets chaotic, that is when he starts thriving in that. It’ll be a very interesting matchup, he has my respect and I think he is a good fighter and it will be a fun fight for the fans.”

If the fight at UFC Nashville does remain on the feet, Dustin Jacoby is confident he will be the better striker and eventually land a big KO punch.

“I picture myself catching him and getting a big knockout or TKO finish. He’s very durable and a big guy. But, he has been clipped before in his fights. I just have to take my time, be patient and find the right shot,” Jacoby said. “I have good cardio and I have the experience. I’ve got a lot more experience than him and when the going gets tough, that is when I really thrive. He does too which makes it a fun fight. But, I see myself getting my hand raised and getting back in the winner’s circle.”

Should Dustin Jacoby get the KO win he’s after, he knows it could catapult him up the light heavyweight ranks.

“The division is really thin. You have a lot of guys near the top that are out and injured or they aren’t fighting. The light heavyweight division is looking for contenders. A big win, a big finish, a big statement puts me right up there,” Jacoby concluded.