Luke Rockhold and Jan Blachowicz collided in a Light Heavyweight clash tonight (Sat., July 6, 2019) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming exclusively online via ESPN+. And it ended in devastating fashion, with Blachowicz scoring a major upset, knocking out the former Middleweight champion in the second round with a vicious fight-ending combination.
Rockhold opened the fight with a trio of power left kicks, whereas Blachowicz answered with quick low kicks. After the exchange of kicks, Rockhold dropped levels and drove into a double leg takedown along the fence. From that position, Rockhold changed to a body lock and slowly worked to drag his foe to the mat. Blachowicz did a great job of defending though, surviving some close scares. With his back to the fence, Blachowicz nailed Rockhold with a hard elbow and a left hand. Blachowicz then scored with a calf kick. Once more. Blachowicz missed on a combo but finished with a nice kick. Rockhold then went high and just missed his kick. Rockhold stuck the body with a jab but got stunned on the return counter! As the bell sounded, a high kick from Blachowicz connected upside Rockhold’s head, rocking the former champion.
Rockhold opened the second aggressive, but both men landed. Blachowicz went right back after the calf. A couple power kicks from Rockhold bounced off the forearms of Blachowicz. With the stand up not exactly going his way, Rockhold dropped down into another takedown attempt along the fence. There was nothing there though, as Blachowicz dug underhooks and spun off the cage. As Rockhold released his foe, Blachowicz fired a massive left hook, catching Rockhold perfectly on the chin.
The Californian went down instantly, and the few follow up shots were not really necessary. It was a great performance and major win for Jan Blachowicz — perhaps the best of his career. Across the entire fight, Blachowicz seemed ready to deal with Rockhold’s considerable offense and countered wonderfully.
Result: Jan Blachowicz defeats Luke Rockhold via second-round knockout
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