Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jan Blachowicz
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Stuns Luke Rockhold in Vegas
Blachowicz defeated Luke Rockhold via KO (punches) at 1:39 of Round 2 at UFC 239 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's the biggest win of Blachowicz's career by a country mile. Not known for his power, this was his first knockout victory in nearly five years. Blachowicz survived an early flurry from Rockhold and slowly took control of the bout afterwards. He got a bit of help along the way when referee Herb Dean ruled a head kick he landed at the end of Round 1 a legal shot (it appeared to land right after the bell rang), but Blachowicz undoubtedly earned his victory. Sporting a 5-1 record in his last six fights, the 36-year-old Blachowicz has entered himself into the title conversation at 205 pounds. While awaiting his next move, Blachowicz will rest easy after earning a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
It's the biggest win of Blachowicz's career by a country mile. Not known for his power, this was his first knockout victory in nearly five years. Blachowicz survived an early flurry from Rockhold and slowly took control of the bout afterwards. He got a bit of help along the way when referee Herb Dean ruled a head kick he landed at the end of Round 1 a legal shot (it appeared to land right after the bell rang), but Blachowicz undoubtedly earned his victory. Sporting a 5-1 record in his last six fights, the 36-year-old Blachowicz has entered himself into the title conversation at 205 pounds. While awaiting his next move, Blachowicz will rest easy after earning a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.
Next fight on tap
Blachowicz will face Luke Rockhold in a light heavyweight fight at UFC 239, Brett Okamoto of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Blachowicz is coming off a loss at UFC Fight Night 145 by TKO at the hands of Thiago Santos and should have a tough task ahead facing Rockhold. However, Rockhold is making the move up in class and is also coming off knee surgery, so there's some uncertainty there for Blachowicz to exploit.
Blachowicz is coming off a loss at UFC Fight Night 145 by TKO at the hands of Thiago Santos and should have a tough task ahead facing Rockhold. However, Rockhold is making the move up in class and is also coming off knee surgery, so there's some uncertainty there for Blachowicz to exploit.
Uses questionable judgment in loss
Blachowicz lost to Thiago Santos via TKO (punches) at 0:39 seconds of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night 145 in Prague, Czech Republic on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Blachowicz likely came into this fight with the intention of picking Santos off with counters as he blitzed forward but the Brazillian displayed a more measured approach than we had seen in recent fights, resulting in an evenly matched contest for the first two rounds. That all changed in the third frame when Jan inexplicably rushed forward and threw winging shots, allowing Santos to step back and light him up with counter hooks. Heavy ground and pound finished the job soon afterwards. While it is true that Santos isn't a great counter puncher, he is dangerous as long as he has space to move in The Octagon, which makes Blachowicz's decision to attack in that manner curious, to say the least. The Polish fighter had somewhat rejuvenated his career in the past two years by staying behind a heavy jab and using his wrestling but he simply couldn't compete in the type of chaotic environment that Santos thrives in. He falls to 23-8 in professional MMA as a result of the loss after being handed just the second KO/TKO loss of his career.
Blachowicz likely came into this fight with the intention of picking Santos off with counters as he blitzed forward but the Brazillian displayed a more measured approach than we had seen in recent fights, resulting in an evenly matched contest for the first two rounds. That all changed in the third frame when Jan inexplicably rushed forward and threw winging shots, allowing Santos to step back and light him up with counter hooks. Heavy ground and pound finished the job soon afterwards. While it is true that Santos isn't a great counter puncher, he is dangerous as long as he has space to move in The Octagon, which makes Blachowicz's decision to attack in that manner curious, to say the least. The Polish fighter had somewhat rejuvenated his career in the past two years by staying behind a heavy jab and using his wrestling but he simply couldn't compete in the type of chaotic environment that Santos thrives in. He falls to 23-8 in professional MMA as a result of the loss after being handed just the second KO/TKO loss of his career.
Paired against Thiago Santos in Prague
Blachowicz will face Thiago Santos in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Prague on Feb. 23.
ANALYSIS
The pair will headline UFC's first ever event in the Czech capital. Blachowicz is coming off four straight victories, most recently forcing Nikita Krylov to submit in the second round at UFC Fight Night 136 in September. His opponent, Santos, is coming off three straight wins of his own. The Brazilian knocked out Jimi Manuwa early in the second round at UFC 231 in his most recent match.
The pair will headline UFC's first ever event in the Czech capital. Blachowicz is coming off four straight victories, most recently forcing Nikita Krylov to submit in the second round at UFC Fight Night 136 in September. His opponent, Santos, is coming off three straight wins of his own. The Brazilian knocked out Jimi Manuwa early in the second round at UFC 231 in his most recent match.
Calls for title shot after Round 2 submission victory in Russia
Blachowicz defeated Nikita Krylov via submission (arm triangle) at 2:41 of Round 2 at UFC Moscow on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Blachowicz was fortunate enough to have his opponent play right into his strengths during this fight. Krylov is known for his knockout power but made the decision to grapple with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. In the first round Blachowicz was taken down, but he quickly swept Krylov and took top position. He worked for submissions but was not able to finish the fight in the first round. In the second, Krylov went for a leg lock which Blachowicz easily shrugged off and he took top position. From there, he locked in the arm triangle and forced the tap. Blachowicz called out Daniel Cormier for a title fight in his post fight interview.
Blachowicz was fortunate enough to have his opponent play right into his strengths during this fight. Krylov is known for his knockout power but made the decision to grapple with the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. In the first round Blachowicz was taken down, but he quickly swept Krylov and took top position. He worked for submissions but was not able to finish the fight in the first round. In the second, Krylov went for a leg lock which Blachowicz easily shrugged off and he took top position. From there, he locked in the arm triangle and forced the tap. Blachowicz called out Daniel Cormier for a title fight in his post fight interview.