Why a childhood punch convinced Jacobe Smith he belonged in the UFC: 'It changed me' — SkimNews
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- Jacobe Smith is set to co-headline UFC Fight Night on Saturday against veteran Randy Brown in a short-notice bout described as the biggest opportunity of his career.
- Jacobe Smith says that as a sixth-grader he knocked down a high school senior after the neighbor cursed at his mother and beat up Smith's cousin, and that the punch made him want to fight in the UFC.
- Jacobe Smith said his father was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and reportedly earned up to $20,000 in a single night competing in tough-man fights; Smith also recounted that his mother, a Junior Olympics volleyball player, stabbed a man in the chest during a nightclub confrontation.
- Jacobe Smith earned NCAA Division I All-American honors at Oklahoma State before transitioning to MMA, remains undefeated, and opened his UFC tenure by knocking out Preston Parsons with a left hook at 73 seconds.
- Kevin Holland received a direct message from Smith after his latest knockout; Smith says he told Holland, 'I want you next, boy,' and threatened to strike him outside the cage if they cannot fight.
- Jacobe Smith and a small group of teammates left Fortis MMA after disputes with the gym's leadership; the group started their own gym, and Smith says he flies to Daniel Cormier for part of his fight camps.
- Jacobe Smith has no outright guarantee that beating Brown will produce a ranked opponent, but says conversations with UFC matchmakers and Daniel Cormier point toward a Top 15 or even Top 5 matchup.
Why it matters: For Smith, the Saturday bout is the biggest opportunity of his career, and he says conversations with UFC matchmakers and Daniel Cormier point to a Top 15 or even Top 5 opponent. Brown, a former ranked fighter, stands between Smith and the UFC welterweight rankings, although no victory is guaranteed to deliver one.
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