Dustin Jacoby admits he didn’t know who Maxim Grishin was, confident he will KO him

Dustin Jacoby was surprised to see Maxim Grishin’s name on the other side of his bout agreement.

Jacoby made his return to the Octagon on Halloween night and scored a first-round TKO win over Justin Ledet. After the win, Jacoby figured he would get a known name but was offered Grishin who fought in PFL and is 1-1 in the UFC. Although the Factory X fighter wanted a known name, he just wants to get back in there and string together some wins.

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“I didn’t know who Max was, but now I do. He’s a very solid fighter, good veteran and it will be a tough challenge for me,” Jacoby said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. He is a tough durable veteran with solid striking. It is no easy fight for anybody. I’m preparing for the best Max there is. He is coming down to heavyweight much like my last opponent.”

Although both Jacoby and Grishin are considered strikers, Jacoby expects the Russian to try and grapple with him. The American used to be a professional kickboxer and because of that, he says most fighters won’t want to stand with him.

“I think his striking is the dominant point of his game but he can wrestle,” Jacoby explained. “But, if he does, I’m training with amazing wrestlers in the gym. I think it will be more difficult than people think to get me down.”

Ultimately, Jacoby is confident he will get his hand raised and do so by knockout. If that happens, he wants to make a quick turnaround and have an active 2021 that sees him end the year with a single-digit number beside his name.

“This is what I do for a living. If I go in there get another knockout which I plan to do, maybe we turn it right around in April or May,” Jacoby concluded. “I’m trying to stay active and be in the top-10 by the end of the year.”

Do you think Dustin Jacoby will KO Maxim Grishin?