Sherdog Prospect Watch: Jacobe Smith
Y'all want the entire Jacobe Smith Fury FC fight??? We'll give it to ya cuz ya might not ever see another. WOW!!#FuryFC86 pic.twitter.com/g3hRybPc3H
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) February 24, 2024
Jacobe Smith excels at drawing attention to himself through optimal performance.
The 28-year-old Fortis MMA welterweight prospect improved to 8-0 with a blink-if-you-dare finish of Jared McLoughlin in the Fury Fighting Championship 86 co-main event on Feb. 23 in Dallas. Smith drew the curtain just 18 seconds into Round 1, as the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler nailed down his third sub-minute finish while showing off the depth and dimension of his game.
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Smith took the center of the cage against McLoughlin, backed him to the fence and decked him with a crushing overhand right. A standing-to-ground shot that followed finished it and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Many expect it to be Smith’s final appearance on the regional circuit, his all-terrain skills showing all the signs of being big-league ready.
“I want money,” he said. “I want to be able to take carer of my
kids, my wife, my family, my friends, like they take care of me. A
lot of people out here think I’ve got money, [that] I’ve got a good
life. I’m still out here struggling, but it’s my family, my wife,
my mom, my dad, my second moms and dads, my family and friends that
got me here, so I ain’t just going to sit here and take this
credit.”
The 5-foot-10 Smith has stopped six of his first eight opponents inside one round.
“I’m not f------ around,” he said. “I’m trying to make some money.”
Smith was a decorated amateur wrestler prior to his transition to mixed martial arts. He completed his prep career at Muskogee High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma, with a 150-10 record, then went on to become a two-time junior college national champion at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Smith’s exploits ultimately took him to Oklahoma State University, where he won two Big XII Conference titles and earned All-America honors in 2018. He went 65-13 in parts of three seasons with the Cowboys. Once Smith the singlet aside, MMA was the natural next step.
“I’m doing something right,” he told UFC Fight Pass. “I’m moving in the right direction to get my family where I want it to be. It’s excitement, for sure. My wife’s happy. We’re moving in a better direction. That’s good for the whole family.”
Smith made his professional debut under the Xtreme Fight League banner on Oct. 8, 2021, when he needed just 94 seconds to bury Roderick Stewart with punches. First-round finishes of Will Florentino, Zac Kelley and Tommie Britton followed before Leivon Lewis and Austin Jones forced him to go the distance. Smith, who continues to develop under renowned trainer Sayif Saud, has passed every test thus far with flying colors.
“Expect excitement and fireworks,” he said. “I’m that guy. When you put my name out there, you might as well put excitement next to it. There’s going to be excitement.”Fabian Reyna vs Jovanny Flores Mohamed Trawally vs Irving Anchondo Carson Castro vs Rodney Munoz Alexandra Carlson vs Angelica Guzman
