Preview: UFC on ESPN 50 ‘Sandhagen vs. Font’

Light Heavyweights

Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-3, 6-3 UFC) vs. #15 LHW | Dustin Jacoby (18-7-1, 6-4-1 UFC)

ODDS: Nzechukwu (-166), Jacoby (+140)

Jacoby’s return to the UFC has already been an unqualified success, but “The Hanyak” suddenly finds himself at a bit of a crossroads. Jacoby’s first UFC run was notable for just how unnoteworthy it was, as he washed out of the promotion in a manner of months over a decade ago, after which he essentially fell backwards into a moderately successful kickboxing career. Once 2020 rolled around, Jacoby decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts once again by going the Dana White’s Contender Series route, and once he impressed in a contract-earning victory, there was no looking back. Jacoby went undefeated in his first six trips to the Octagon, even as there were some obvious growing pains along the way. Jacoby was initially a less comfortable fighter under pressure or when forced to think about a potential takedown threat, but he clearly improved with experience and rounded into a Top 15 light heavyweight by late 2022. Jacoby’s first loss during this UFC return, in an October fight against Khalil Rountree, was a bit frustrating from the standpoint of his career arc but understandable in practice. Both men put in strong performances in what essentially wound up as an even fight, with Rountree getting the narrow nod. However, Jacoby’s April loss to Azamat Murzakanov does raise some more concern about his ability to break through into the 205-pound elite. Jacoby seemed prepared to set a pace and win a volume-heavy affair over Murzakanov’s sniping style but found his momentum consistently halted as he never really found a clear path towards taking over the fight. This might just wind up as Jacoby hitting his ceiling, which is still an overall victory given the expectations upon his return to the UFC, but it would be nice to see him score a definitive victory against the surging Nzechukwu.

Another Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Nzechukwu was an extremely raw project when the UFC picked him up in 2018, assuming that the 6-foot-5 “African Savage” had enough natural talent to figure things out on the job. That gambit has paid off, even if the path towards Nzechukwu realizing his potential has been rife with frustration. Even as Nzechukwu has racked up wins, there has been a sense that he has badly needed to add some urgency to his approach in order to maximize his natural ability. Early in Nzechukwu’s career, he would mostly coast to wins against opponents who would burn themselves out trying to score a finish—a dynamic that eventually dried up against Da Woon Jung and Nicolae Negumereanu. Nzechukwu has found a thread of aggression during his current three-fight winning streak, even though it has still taken a while to get there. Nzechukwu has looked like an absolute terror once he gets going and pours on offense ahead of a finish, but those victories have been marked by some slow starts that look like losing performances until the point that he decides to kick things into another gear. If that dynamic plays out here, it will be interesting to see exactly when Nzechukwu decides to turn things on, but it still feels like a winning fight for the Nigerian-American. He has the size and reach to hang with any opponent on the feet, and if he has any appetite for pressure, Jacoby should not be able to scare him off and also looks prone to getting outwrestled. This could take a while to settle into a groove, but the pick is Nzechukwu via third-round stoppage.

Jump To »
Sandhagen vs. Font
Suarez vs. Andrade
Nzechukwu vs. Jacoby
Lopes vs. Tucker
Boser vs. Camur
Bahamondes vs. Klein
The Prelims