Preview: UFC Vegas 107 ‘Blanchfield vs. Barber’

Light Heavyweights

Dustin Jacoby (20-9-1, 8-6-1 UFC) vs. Bruno Lopes (14-1, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Jacoby (-185), Lopes (+154)

Jacoby appears to be slowing down in his late 30s, but he can still regain some momentum with a second straight win. Jacoby has had a long and winding career, making his UFC debut in 2011 with less than a year under his belt as a professional. Jacoby quickly proved out of his depth, sliding out of the promotion after two fights, and seemed set to follow the journeyman path before essentially falling backwards into a solid kickboxing career in the back half of the decade. “The Hanyak” decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts once again in 2020, and this time, he was much readier, earning a win on the Contender Series before going undefeated in his first seven UFC bouts after his return. During that streak, it was nice to see Jacoby slowly adjust and improve in terms of dealing with the go-anywhere nature of mixed martial arts after years as a kickboxer, though he eventually did hit a hard ceiling in a 2022 loss to Khalil Rountree. Even with his natural athleticism and talent, Jacoby is rarely a consistent power puncher, which leaves him unable to make up the difference when facing the level of elite athletes that the top tiers of light heavyweight can present. To his credit, Jacoby has still typically been able to eat offense and put on a gritty performance even in a loss, which made his knockout defeat to Dominick Reyes a little less than a year ago a bit of a worry. Jacoby was able to rebound with a third-round knockout of Vitor Petrino in December, even if it wasn’t a particularly impressive performance up until the finish. Jacoby looks for another win against Lopes, who’s coming off a flat UFC debut in January.

A two-time DWCS alum, Lopes feels more like a heavyweight prospect than a typical light heavyweight, as he’s slow and plodding for the division. Save for a 2023 knockout defeat to Brendson Ribeiro, that speed disadvantage hasn’t meant much, as he has been able to bully his way to wins with a combination of slugging power and a capable enough grappling game. Lopes’ UFC debut against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov raised some concerns, as he couldn’t find the finish in a grind that didn’t do much to help anyone, but that victory at least sets him up for a big second chance at a first impression. Lopes could find another finish, particularly if Jacoby continues to get gun-shy as he ages. However, the Brazilian looks like the type of opponent that Jacoby would pick apart at most points in his career. The pick is Jacoby via second-round knockout.

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Blanchfield vs. Barber
Gamrot vs. Klein
Goff vs. Brahimaj
Jacoby vs. Lopes
Reese vs. Todorovic
The Prelims