Dustin Jacoby and Vitor Petrino will face off on Saturday as part of the UFC on ESPN 63 main card at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Here’s a quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
In his last event, the record stood at 3-2, and for UFC main cards in 2024, the standing is 107-93-3.
Dustin Jacoby (19-9-1 MMA, 7-6-1 UFC) is approaching this main card matchup needing a win, having lost four of his last five bouts. His only victory in that span was a first-round finish of Kennedy Nzechukwu last August. However, he mirrored that with a quick loss to Dominick Reyes in his last fight in June. On the other hand, Vitor Petrino (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) also enters the fight after a first-round loss. Anthony Smith submitted him with a guillotine at UFC 301, marking Petrino’s first professional defeat.
Adding to the main card is another light heavyweight battle between Jacoby and Petrino.
It’s undeniable that Jacoby has been enduring a challenging period, but numerous losses came from specific stylistic matchups against southpaw counterstrikers.
Petrino does not fit this style, and it’s uncertain what type of fighter he represents at this point in his career.
While Petrino made significant errors that led to a submission loss against Anthony Smith, his overall fighting style still seems a bit unstructured, despite his athleticism and potential.
If Jacoby can utilize the larger octagon to his benefit and maintain his stance, he may weather early challenges and secure the match as it progresses.
The prediction is Jacoby by unanimous decision.
Betting odds heavily favor the Brazilian competitor, with Petrino at -310 and Jacoby at +240 via FanDuel.
Jacoby and Petrino are set to enter the cage at approximately 11:10 a.m. ET. The fight will be available to stream on ESPN+.
For further details on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.
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