Unbeaten Jacobe Smith joins UFC 332 on 9 days' notice against newcomer Bruce Whitehead
Jacobe Smith, 12-0, has taken a fight on 9 days’ notice: he faces newcomer Bruce Whitehead, 8-2, at welterweight at UFC 332 on Saturday, October 3, in Salt Lake City. None of the 30-year-old former college wrestler’s 3 UFC fights has gone to the scorecards. Whitehead knocked out his last opponent in 48 seconds 2 weeks ago.
Key takeaways
- Jacobe Smith (12-0) faces Bruce Whitehead (8-2) at welterweight at UFC 332 on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, a fight made 9 days out.
- Smith is 3-0 in the UFC, all by stoppage: Preston Parsons in 73 seconds, Niko Price, then Josiah Harrell by round 1 knockout in February, earning a performance bonus.
- Whitehead, who has spent his whole career in Fury FC, knocked out Ali Abouzalam in 48 seconds on September 20 and has won 2 in a row.
Jacobe Smith, 12 wins and no UFC decisions
A Contender Series contract
Smith, 30, a former college wrestler, earned his contract on the Contender Series in October 2024. He has won 10 of his 12 fights inside the distance, 9 by knockout.
3 UFC stoppages
In the UFC he stopped Preston Parsons in 73 seconds, then Niko Price, and knocked out Josiah Harrell in round 1 at UFC Houston in February, earning Performance of the Night.
A missed fight this summer
Smith was set to face Kevin Holland at UFC Oklahoma City in July, but Holland withdrew. This time he accepts an opponent 9 days before the event.
Bruce Whitehead, a newcomer fresh off a knockout
Made in Fury FC
Whitehead, 29, has spent his whole career in Texas-based Fury FC, one of the top feeder leagues for the UFC. He has 5 wins inside the distance, 3 by submission and 2 by knockout.
13 days between fights
On September 20 at Fury FC 124, he knocked out Ali Abouzalam in 48 seconds. He will fight again 13 days later, for his UFC debut.
A loss to a UFC fighter
His last defeat, in 2025, came against Victor Valenzuela, now under UFC contract. He has won 4 of his last 5.
doesn't make a ton of sense other than Smith wanting to stay busy
What Jacobe Smith has at stake at UFC 332
Staying active
For Smith, the clear favorite, the goal is mostly to keep busy and extend his run before targeting a ranked opponent.
An already loaded card
The fight joins a night headlined by the vacant flyweight title fight between Natália Silva and Wang Cong, with Deiveson Figueiredo vs Payton Talbott and King Green vs Esteban Ribovics.
Follow the fight
Smith’s record and our weekly welterweight rating are in the FightHub app, with the result as soon as the fight ends.
- Green vs Ribovics at UFC 332: King Green chases a 4th win of 2026 against the striker who retired Barboza
- Figueiredo vs Talbott at UFC 332: the former 2-time flyweight champion against the prospect who beat Cejudo
- Contender Series week 7: 6 UFC contracts, 2 for fighters who lost, none for the main event winner
- Gane vs Hokit is official for UFC 334: fifteen months after the Contender Series, Hokit gets the heavyweight title
