Tag: Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz Shares The “Secret” Behind His Adesanya Win

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz has teased what made him get the better of Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. Blachowicz earned a dominant win over Adesanya at UFC 259, which was Adesanya’s first and only defeat in the Octagon. He has risen to stardom at middleweight despite falling short of double-champion status against…

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Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz has teased what made him get the better of Israel Adesanya at UFC 259.

Blachowicz earned a dominant win over Adesanya at UFC 259, which was Adesanya’s first and only defeat in the Octagon. He has risen to stardom at middleweight despite falling short of double-champion status against Blachowicz.

A lot has changed since Blachowicz and Adesanya went to battle last year. Blachowicz went on to lose the title stunningly to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, while Adesanya has defended his belt against Marvin Vettori and most recently against Robert Whittaker.

Despite being the light heavyweight titleholder in their matchup, some fans saw Blachowicz as the underdog against Adesanya. During a recent interview with Sportsnaut, Blachowicz explained what made his approach to Adesanya different than his other opponents.

“It was because I’m Jan Blachowicz, they are not,” Blachowicz said. “This is the biggest difference. In this fight, I took my legendary Polish power with me. That’s it. This is the secret, legendary Polish power. If I don’t forget it in the hotel room I beat everybody. If I forget it, not.”

Adesanya hasn’t ruled out another attempt at light heavyweight after losing to Blachowicz. He’s also been at odds with another former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones after a series of social media banter.

Blachowicz was supposed to face Aleksandar Rakic next month but had to withdraw due to an injury. The matchup is expected to be rescheduled for later this year.

If Blachowicz is victorious against Rakic and reclaims the light heavyweight throne, a rematch against Adesanya could be on the table. This would allow Adesanya to get vengeance at 205 pounds.

What did you make of the Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya matchup?

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Usman On Why He Considered LHW Jump: “It’s Jan”

UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has shed some more light on why he considered challenging for former light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz’s title. Since ascending to the 170-pound mountaintop in 2019, an achievement that came through a dominant five-round performance against Tyron Woodley, Usman has firmly established himself as one of the most dominant champions…

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UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has shed some more light on why he considered challenging for former light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz’s title.

Since ascending to the 170-pound mountaintop in 2019, an achievement that came through a dominant five-round performance against Tyron Woodley, Usman has firmly established himself as one of the most dominant champions in the UFC, in a one-on-one race for welterweight GOAT status, and arguably in the conversation for the greatest of all time, period.

Having beaten off two challenges each from Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal and finishing Gilbert Burns, “The Nigerian Nightmare” sits comfortably on the welterweight throne, but also with the pound-for-pound crown in his possession.

Looking to prove and demonstrate his P4P dominance, Usman recently revealed he’d considered jumping two divisions to light heavyweight to challenge Polish powerhouse Blachowicz, who, at the time, reigned over the 205-pound landscape.

Since that revelation, a number of contenders have given their thoughts on how Usman would fare in their home turf. While the upcoming title challenger Ji?í Procházka suggested “The Nigerian Nightmare” would lack his usual speed and power, the rising Jamahal Hill told MMA News that Usman would be “tiny” for a light heavyweight.

Usman’s Two-Division Aspirations Derived From One Matchup

Now, as the discussion surrounding a potential pursuit of glory at a second weight continues, Usman has clarified his comments.

During an interview with CBS Sports, the welterweight titleholder explained that his desire to jump up to 205 pounds derived from his feelings towards a fight against Blachowicz, an opponent he believes he’d match up well with.

“I was very serious. I got some flak for it, and people were thinking, ‘Oh, no, he’s just saying this.’ No, I was very serious,” said Usman. “Because Israel Adesanya is the middleweight champion and Jan Blachowicz was the light heavyweight champion, I saw that matchup and I said, ‘Hey, that’s a fight that I can deal with. It’s Jan. 

“No disrespect to Jan. I think he’s a great competitor, he’s a very powerful guy, he’s got a lot of power in his hands, but I thought that was a matchup that favored me,” Usman added. “I thought if I had skipped the middleweight class, went up to light heavyweight, I definitely would be a champ-champ. But unfortunately, he’s no longer the champ, so I will stay put where I am, and we’ll have that conversation if it happens.”

With compatriot and friend Israel Adesanya on the middleweight throne, any push for champ-champ status would have to see Usman skip the 185-pound class.

However, with Blachowicz losing the gold to veteran Brazilian Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 last October, it remains to be seen whether or not Usman fancies his chances against light heavyweights beyond the recently-dethroned Blachowicz.

How do you think Kamaru Usman would have fared against then-champion Jan Blachowicz in 2021?

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Jan Blachowicz Hopes To Avoid Surgery For Spinal Disease

Jan Blachowicz hopes medicine and weeks of rehab will be enough to avoid surgery for cervical disc complications. The Polish fighter was on a three-fight win streak before becoming the light heavyweight champion in 2020. He then successfully defended the title for the first time against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He was then scheduled to…

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Jan Blachowicz hopes medicine and weeks of rehab will be enough to avoid surgery for cervical disc complications.

The Polish fighter was on a three-fight win streak before becoming the light heavyweight champion in 2020. He then successfully defended the title for the first time against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

He was then scheduled to defend the belt a second time against Glover Texiera. The 42-year-old Brazilian closed the main event early in round 2 by rear-naked choke, thus becoming the new light heavyweight champion.

Glover Teixeria and Jan Blachowicz
Glover Teixeria and Jan Blachowicz, Photo Credit: Chris Unger

It was a monumental moment for Teixeria, but Blachowicz was in a poor state of mind during the fight. Jan gave a vague explanation of why he had a “bad day” on the night of UFC 267 but claims he would have lost to anyone that night.

Though Blachowicz did not quit after the loss. A match on March 26 against #3 light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic was in the works for the former champion.

However, Blachowicz reports medical issues that will halt his 2022 comeback, according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani.

“I asked Jan Blachowicz how he was feeling recently. He told me he has ‘cervical spine discopathy,’ which, according to Spine-Health.com, is a ‘degenerative disc disease’ and a common cause of neck pain and radiating arm pain. It develops when one or more of the cushioning discs in the cervical spine starts to break down due to wear and tear. Cervical degenerative disc disease is diagnosed when a damaged disc in the spine becomes symptomatic,” Helwani wrote on his Substack.

No venue is set in stone for the March bout, but health issues will require a replacement for Jan.

Jan needs about 4-5 weeks of rehab and medicine to hopefully evade going into surgery.

What are your thoughts on Jan Blachowicz’s diagnosis?

Continue Reading Jan Blachowicz Hopes To Avoid Surgery For Spinal Disease at MMA News.

Jan Blachowicz Issues Threat To ‘Motherf*cker’ Kurt Zouma After Animal Abuse Video Emerges

Jan BlachowiczFormer UFC light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz has issued a threat aimed at West Ham United and French international footballer, Kurt Zouma, after video footage emerged this Tuesday morning of the center back kicking his pet cat around his kitchen, as well as slapping the Bengal cat and throwing a pair of shoes at it.  […]

Jan Blachowicz

Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz has issued a threat aimed at West Ham United and French international footballer, Kurt Zouma, after video footage emerged this Tuesday morning of the center back kicking his pet cat around his kitchen, as well as slapping the Bengal cat and throwing a pair of shoes at it. 

Blachowicz, who is currently sidelined after suffering a neck and spinal injury ahead of a March UFC Columbus main event against Aleksandar Rakic, was subsequently forced to withdraw from the main event clash.

The Polish striker headlined UFC 267 in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE – suffering a one-sided second round rear-naked choke loss against Glover Teixeira in a championship outing. 

Jan Blachowicz successfully defended his title once in March last year with a win over Israel Adesanya

However, Jan Blachowicz issued a warning to former Chelsea and Everton defender, Zouma this afternoon, urging him to attempt to kick him like he did his cat, as the latter continues to find himself on the receiving end of mass criticism amid the emergence of an animal abuse video.

“If you are such a tough mother****er, @KurtZouma, try to kick me,” Jan Blachowicz tweeted. “What a piece of sh*t. No tolerance for animal cruelty.”

Despite the emergence of the aforenoted video footage, Zouma has still started for West Ham United for the club’s Premier League clash with Watford. 

Zouma released an official statement detailing how he was “deeply sorry” following the attack, and claimed that both family cats are “perfectly fine and healthy”.

“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video,” Kurt Zouma said. “I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy. They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”

In an official statement released by West Ham United Football Club, the London-based outfit confirmed that they were dealing with the issue internally, whilst manager, David Moyes insisted that Zouma was “one of our better players” amid his start tonight against Watford despite the incident.

“West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated,” The statement read. “We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals.” 

Jan Blachowicz Withdraws From Aleksandar Rakic Fight, Matchup Postponed

Jan BlachowiczFormer UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has withdrawn from his scheduled March 26th bout with Aleksandar Rakic. This was first reported by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. It’s unclear what the reasoning is behind Blachowicz pulling out of the fight, but it can almost be assumed that it’s due to an injury in camp. It’s […]

Jan Blachowicz

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has withdrawn from his scheduled March 26th bout with Aleksandar Rakic.

This was first reported by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.

It’s unclear what the reasoning is behind Blachowicz pulling out of the fight, but it can almost be assumed that it’s due to an injury in camp. It’s unclear how long Blachowicz will be sidelined.

Blachowicz was looking to get back in the win column after losing his belt to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267. Before that, he had earned wins over Israel Adesanya and Dominick Reyes in his previous two outings.

Jan Blachowicz Vs. Aleksandar Rakic To Be Rescheduled

Rakic is coming off of back-to-back wins over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos inside the octagon. He’s been called for a title shot but accepted the next best thing in the former champion Blachowicz.

Blachowicz has recently said that he didn’t feel like himself in the fight against Teixeira. Unlike his previous wins, Blachowicz seemed timid on the feet and was taken down with relative ease against Teixeira.

Blachowicz earned the title over Reyes after Jon Jones vacated the belt following his win over Reyes in early 2020. After a slow start to his UFC tenure, he’s developed into one of the most intimidating forces in the cage.

Rakic is looking to get to his first title shot after an impressive string of wins in the UFC. He’s known as arguably one of the most prolific strikers in recent light heavyweight history.

Helwani went on to report that the matchup will be re-scheduled for later this year, and the UFC is now looking for a replacement main event for March 26. There are numerous high-stakes matchups the promotion could opt to go with.

Who do you want to see take place of Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic?

Kamaru Usman Considered 2021 Light Heavyweight Move To Challenge Jan Blachowicz

Kamaru UsmanKamaru Usman has revealed he considered a potential light heavyweight move for the majority of last year, in a bid to add to his welterweight title spoils in a showdown with then-undisputed titleholder, Jan Blachowicz.  Usman, who most recently headlined UFC 268 back in November, turned in a fifth successful welterweight title defense consecutively – […]

Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman has revealed he considered a potential light heavyweight move for the majority of last year, in a bid to add to his welterweight title spoils in a showdown with then-undisputed titleholder, Jan Blachowicz. 

Usman, who most recently headlined UFC 268 back in November, turned in a fifth successful welterweight title defense consecutively – handing former interim champion, Colby Covington a unanimous decision loss at the Madison Square Garden event.

The victory rounded off a splendid 2021 for the Nigerian, who had scored a second career win over rival, Jorge Masvidal in April courtesy of a thunderous second round knockout, which followed a third round stoppage over former Sanford MMA teammate, Gilbert Burns two months prior at UFC 258. 

Kamaru Usman would elect against challenging friend and current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya

In September, Kamaru Usman also dislodged former two-time light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones from his perch as the pound-for-pound king in the organization – gazumping him into the #1 slot himself.

And Kamaru Usman recently admitted that while a move never materialised, he intended to make a stunning light heavyweight division leap to tackle former champion, Blachowicz for most of 2021. 

“I was gonna skip Israel (Adesanya) and go fight Jan (Blachowicz) at 205,” Kamaru Usman said during a recent interview with GQ. “Because I’m pound-for-pound, I want to prove it. No matter what weight it is, I thought he (Jan Blachowicz) was a really good matchup for me. I think I would beat him.”

Whilst the bout failed to come to fruition, a week prior to Usman’s title retention against Covington, Blachowicz suffered a surprising one-sided rear-naked choke loss to current champion, Glover Teixeira at UFC 267.

Auchi native, Usman, has yet to book his next Octagon outing, however, is expected to return from a hand injury suffered in the weeks leading up to November’s clash with Covington this summer, ahead of a potential title rematch against December 2015 foe, Leon Edwards.