Jacoby went on to earn himself another UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series last summer, and with wins over Justin Ledet and Grishin, he’s where he’s always wanted to be. And at 33, he may just be in his physical prime as well. Needless to say, he wasn’t going to turn down the Cutelaba fight.
“It’s funny because coach (Marc Montoya) and I were talking and he said, ‘This isn’t a full camp, we know that. It’s not like we need to train anything specific. The fight’s here – you just gotta go out and be you. You’re in shape, you know how to fight, you’re a veteran of the sport, you know how to perform when the lights come on. You just gotta be you.’ And he’s exactly right. That’s how I feel and that’s why I love this matchup, too. When I’m fighting a real technical wrestler or a real technical ground guy that wants to try to get me down and use certain moves, then we’ll really train technique. But when I’m fighting a guy like Cutelaba, there’s no real technical things we’re doing. We’re just being me and doing what we do. This is gonna be my 40th professional fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
About all Jacoby has to worry about is Cutelaba’s usual weigh-in day antics. But if you think something like that concerns a guy nicknamed “The Hanyak,” think again.
“Of course, all my teammates, all my buddies, they’re like, ‘Man, you gotta be prepared at weigh-ins; this guy’s gonna get in your face, he’s gonna scream,’” Jacoby laughs. “And I was like, I’m cool with all that; he can do whatever he wants, just don’t touch me. If you want to get in my face and yell, if that’s what you gotta do to get yourself ready, by all means, go right ahead. Just do not touch me.”