If Saturday’s UFC Halloween event was supposed to be Jacobe Smith’s “big moment” then the undefeated prospect left a lot of people wanting more.
Smith, who came into Saturday’s co-main event a sizeable betting favorite, was pitted against welterweight veteran Randy Brown. “Rude Boy” has been around for a while now and he’s fought a lot of different styles so fans were intrigued to see how Smith would handle the step up in competition. After all, Smith has dominated his opponents to date, but Brown was the first welterweight name that carried some real weight. If Smith couldn’t get past Brown with flying colors then maybe he’s not the “top prospect” we all thought.
On paper, Smith didn’t disappoint. He showed off his usual athleticism while staying aggressive and in full control of the fight. He even split Brown open after launching a barrage of slicing elbows from top position. Brown didn’t do much damage from his end, but he did survive all three rounds. It was a pretty lopsided win in favor of Smith, who is now 5-0 as a member of the UFC’s welterweight division.
That’s all well and good, but fans wanted more from Smith. The 30-year-old knockout artist has looked unstoppable over his first four Octagon appearances, which included four total finishes and some of the biggest takedown slams you’ll ever see. Smith has even been talking smack to UFC veteran Kevin Holland to create some extra buzz. Not to mention the athletic gifts and incredible finishing ability that Smith possesses.
Because of all that, seeing Smith get his hand raised with a decision win was a bit disappointing. Brown was there for the taking, but Smith finally met an opponent he couldn’t finish. UFC matchmakers will likely push Smith even further his next time out so he will have a shot at redemption to truly cement his name as the next best thing.
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