UFC Tampa was electric. The crowd? Absolutely roaring. And Dustin Jacoby? He delivered an absolute bombshell of a performance that has now put the focus on UFC boss Dana White! Facing off against Vitor Petrino, Jacoby was an underdog coming into the fight. Having lost two fights to Dominick Reyes and Alonzo Menifield, ‘The Hanyak’ was looking to make a statement against the Brazilian.

Meanwhile, his opponent, ‘Icao’, had faced the first professional loss of his career against Anthony Smith at UFC 301 and was determined to bounce back. The odds were against Jacoby, with Petrino the heavy favorite. But Jacoby wasn’t fazed. Round one saw him dance around, leg kicks slicing through the air, staying patient while Petrino came forward. Jacoby’s crisp strikes and leg kicks slowly wore down his opponent. But it wasn’t until the third round that Jacoby delivered the MMA equivalent of Mjolnir!

In a flurry of chaos, Jacoby, seemingly on the brink of defeat, landed the punch of doom. And just like that, Petrino was out cold. During the post-fight interview, Michael Bisping called it “as clean as they get,” and Jacoby had to ask, “Do you think I get a bonus with that one?”

Well, the UFC boss was sitting cage-side, and UFC on TNT Sports shared the video of Jacoby going over to the Octagon side with the caption, “He’s getting a bonus!”. The fans weren’t far behind in highlighting their reactions to the impressive victory by Dustin Jacoby and here’s a look at what they had to say!

Dana White gets demands for “more events” as Dustin Jacoby leaves the fans in a frenzy at UFC Tampa  

The moment Dustin Jacoby landed the shot that closed out the show on Vitor Petrino, the MMA sphere was struck by a blast from the past! Why? As one fan pointed out, the entire sequence looked eerily similar to what happened in the Kamaru Usman vs Jorge Masvidal fight from UFC 261. Although it’s important to distinguish that in their first fight at UFC 251, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had secured a unanimous decision win over ‘Gamebred’. And at UFC 261, which was held in Jacksonville Florida, Usman became the first man to knock out Masvidal in the Octagon!

“Was out for the majority of the fight and then went for it! Similar to Masvidal vs Usman.”

But for other fans, it was a sign that the UFC and Dana White should start to focus more on events held in cities like Tampa, rather than the UFC Apex. Because without the roar of the crowd, Jacoby’s thunderous knockout would have definitely not felt the same. But there is also hope on the horizon. In an interview earlier this year, the UFC CEO confessed, “I’ve been saying this for a long time, “We’ve got to get out of the Apex and start doing more events in all these different cities. We’re starting to do it. We’re getting it done this year.”  Do you think we’ll see more events like UFC Tampa in 2025?

“hope uncle dana realizes he should have more events at #UFCTampa instead of the Apex”

Meanwhile, some fans were still left in awe of what they just witnessed as they compared Jacoby’s fight-ending punch to Captain Falcon’s trademark special move the ‘Falcon Punch’! Fans of the Super Smash Bros. video game series will be very familiar with the ‘punch’ but inside the Octagon, Vitor Petrino found out the hard way what it feels like to be on the receiving end of such a strike.

“He was about to lose and then just hit that man with  falcon punch of doom”

While mentioning Petrino, another fan pointed out the seemingly “fraud check” nature of his past two losses. The Brazilian was poised as a serious light heavyweight contender entering 2024 with a record of 11-0. Now, he’s on a two-fight skid and both of those coming via finish, raising questions about his future in the division.

“Vitor Petrino being on back to back fraud check losses to Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith is insane”

For other fans, there was nothing else to say but to point out the “nasty” nature of Dustin Jacoby’s eye-popping knockout!

“That was Nasty”

To wrap things up, Dustin Jacoby’s electrifying knockout of Vitor Petrino was more than just a victory; it was a statement. The UFC Tampa crowd was treated to a moment that many won’t soon forget—one that had fans clamoring for more events outside the sterile confines of the UFC Apex. Jacoby’s precise, devastating strike brought the house down, and with Dana White already hinting at a shift in venue strategy, we may just see more nights like this in 2025. Fans are clearly yearning for that energy, that atmosphere, where fighters like Jacoby can make their mark. So, will Dana White listen to the call for more events in cities like Tampa? Or will the Apex continue to dominate the UFC schedule? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!