Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is hinting at his next potential showdown, and all signs are pointing toward Alexandar Rakic.
While rumors about the two top light heavyweights mixing it up are currently circulating, nothing official has been announced. A month following his defeat to Glover Teixeira by rear-naked choke, Jan Blachowicz makes no excuses and is looking forward to proving himself in the UFC once again. Prior to the Polish champion’s loss to Teixeira, he looked unstoppable after sending middleweight champion Israel Adesanya away with no extra belt.
The two fought last March and to the surprise of many, Jan Blachowicz held his own against “The Last Stylebender” in the striking department. In fact, he had many exciting moments on his feet, and the threat of his takedown was glaringly apparent throughout much of the contest. Blachowicz demonstrated stellar takedown timing and was able to follow through on the technique in open space. Since Adesanya was unable to use the cage wall to his benefit, it made it even more difficult for the smaller champion to emerge from the bottom position.
While his fight against Glover Teixeira lasted 8-minutes, Blachowicz and many who believe in his tools are adamant that his best form was not in attendance at UFC 267. While the former champion isn’t making excuses, he did explain some of what happened after the epic title fight concluded.
Jan Blachowicz Talks Title Loss & Future
Speaking with The MMA Hour, Blachowicz detailed the feelings he had before and during the fight and gave a great account of what fighters deal with moments before stepping into the octagon.
“Everything goes wrong,” Blachowicz said about the fight with Teixeira. “I shouldn’t fight that night but what can I do? I can just go back to the training, back to the gym, train harder and try to get the belt back and that’s it. I’m not going to be sad. I’m not going to be thinking about the fight cause I don’t want to waste my life about something like this. I think about the fight, why it goes wrong but I don’t waste time to be sad. I will not hide under the bed and cry.”
“It’s a good fight,” Jan Blachowicz said about Rakic. “He’s a strong, real fighter. All fighters in the UFC, top 10, top five, they are amazing fighters, and it’s a pleasure for me to fight against all of them. Rakic is good for the next fight but we will see.”
Jan Blachowicz also clarified in the interview that he was not fighting Anthony Smith. With options narrowing down, perhaps a fight against Alexandar Rakic is in the cards after all.
Do you think Jan Blachowicz will fight Alexandar Rakic next?
