Tag: Jan Blachowicz

Aleksandar Rakic says Jan Blachowicz out of UFC 297, calls for Jiri Prochazka to step in (Updated)

Nothing is confirmed, but according to Aleksandar Rakic, his UFC 297 fight with Jan Blachowicz is no longer happening.

(Editor note: Story was updated at 12:05 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 with Blachowicz’s confirmation of his UFC 297 withdrawal and statement on the situation)

According to [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag], [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] is out of their fight at UFC 297.

Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is scheduled to run things back with former light heavyweight champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) on Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, but Rakic claimed on Thursday in an X post that Blachowicz has withdrawn.

“You can never lose a rematch when you pull out for the second time. Legendary Bullsh*t. Let’s see if the Samurai has the balls to step up on Jan 20th. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite.”

“The Samurai” is in reference to former champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), whom Rakic has been eager to fight and traded barbs with in the past. Prochazka is coming off a knockout loss to Alex Pereira in their vacant title fight at UFC 295 in November.

Rakic hasn’t competed since blowing out his knee in a TKO loss to Blachowicz in May 2022. Prior to that, he scored back-to-back wins over Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.

UPDATE: Blachowicz subsequently confirmed his injury withdrawal from the event in a statement on social media (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0jttx-Nora

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It’s hard to express how I feel because it’s a mixture of anger and sadness. Withdrawing from a fight due to injury is one of the most difficult decisions a fighter can make. However, sometimes there is no other option, especially when you are competing in the TOP 5 and want to put on a show at the highest possible level. Instead of fighting for the best shape, I fight with the pain during every training session. I did everything I could, but my shoulders need surgery. In this state, continuing preparations and entering the Octagon would be irresponsible and stupid.

I always say that when I go into a fight, I must be 100% ready. I owe it to myself, my coaches, my opponent and, above all, the fans.

Thank you in advance for your support! I am waiting for the date of surgery, after which rehabilitation and return to training will follow.

I promise I will come back stronger!

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Jan Blachowicz predicts ‘clear KO’ of Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297: ‘He’s going to have nothing to say after this’

Jan Blachowicz plans on leaving no doubt in his rematch against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] plans on leaving no doubt in his rematch with [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag].

Former light heavyweight champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) runs things back with Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on Jan. 20 at UFC 297 from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Blachowicz defeated Rakic by TKO due to injury in May 2022 after Rakic blew out his knee just over a minute into Round 3. Rakic has been dead set on getting his rematch, and Blachowicz aims to silence any skepticism surrounding their first fight.

“This is how I think about this: I beat him one more time, I break him again, and that’s it,” Blachowicz told Middle Easy. “And I just shut the people out, and that’s it. Then we’ll see what’s going to be next. Now I focus only about him, but I think this is a good fight for me.”

Judges had their first fight scored 1-1 going into Round 3, but Blachowicz aims to end the rematch in more definitive fashion.

“Similar to our first fight but this time I just knock him out,” Blachowicz said. “Clear KO, nothing to say, nothing to do anymore. He’s going to have nothing to say after this.”

Since their first fight, Rakic is yet to compete, whereas Blachowicz has fought twice. He expects the long layoff to impact Rakic.

“For sure it will work for me,” Blachowicz said. “Two years break almost, he’s coming back after surgery, injury, so we will see. But I’m going to be ready for best version of Rakic and of course he will be very motivated because he wants to prove that this time will be a different result. So, I have to be ready for a better Rakic, but I never lost a rematch, and this time will be the same.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Jan Blachowicz picks Alex Pereira to beat Jamahal Hill: ‘Sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape’

Former UFC champ Jan Blachowicz thinks the long layoff will likely impact Jamahal Hill vs. Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] thinks the long layoff will likely impact [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Many expect Hill (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) to get the next shot at newly crowned light heavyweight champion Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who stopped Jiri Prochazka by knockout Nov. 11 to claim the vacant belt at UFC 295.

Having lost to Pereira in a close decision he thought he won, Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) gives “Poatan” the edge over Hill, who will return from an achilles tendon rupture that required surgery.

“We’ll see how he’s going to feel after the injury because sometimes it’s hard coming back in great shape,” Blachowicz told Middle Easy. “You still got something in the back of your head that you have surgery and you’re coming back. You don’t know how your leg is going to feel. So, I don’t know. In this moment, I would put my money on Pereira.”

Blachowicz is eager to run things back with Pereira. If he can get past Aleksandar Rakic in their rematch at UFC 297 on Jan. 20, he hopes to emerge as the No. 1 contender.

“If Pereira will fight against Jamahal Hill and he’s going to win, and I believe that I’m going to win against Rakic, so this rematch, they have to give it to me because our fight was split decision, and I believe the referee gave a bad decision,” Blachowicz said. “So, they have to give me this rematch.”

Blachowicz is even willing to be a reserve for the title fight between Pereira and Hill.

“I can be backup fighter, no problem,” Blachowicz said. “You just sit over there waiting, watch the fight, and they give you some money. So, why not?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 6-12)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 6-12.

Jan Blachowicz takes exception to Alex Pereira’s ‘pathetic’ callout of Israel Adesanya at UFC 295

Jan Blachowicz belives there is unfinished business with Alex Pereira, who shoudn’t be looking for another fight vs. Israel Adesanya.

Former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] was not a fan of Alex Pereira’s callout of Israel Adesanya at UFC 295.

In the main event of the pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York, Pereira claimed the vacant light heavyweight title by finishing Jiri Prochazka in the second round. During his post-fight interview, Pereria turned his attention to a familiar foe in Adesanya, which did not sit well with Blachowicz.

The pair have history as Blachowicz was the man to welcome Pereira to the light heavyweight division in July at UFC 291. The result of the fight was a close split decision, that led Pereira to a fight for the title when Jamahal Hill vacated due to injury. Blachowicz thinks Pereira’s attention should be on him instead of Adesanya.

“I know you’re a slimy one. Calling out Izzy,” Blachowicz wrote on X. “Great performance and all but STFU, we have unfinished business, you and I. The judges won’t give you handouts next time. Pathetic.”

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Blachowicz’s statement drew quite a reaction on social media, prompting the former champ to elaborate on his statement.

“I see I need to clarify,” Blachowicz wrote. “People see me that I’m a nice guy all the time. But sometimes I get pissed off, like everyone in life. I’m still super angry that they stole my W against Pereira. Now he calls out Adesanya again. Give it a rest already. We’ve been there 4 times!”

This is LHW and that split decision means we have unfinished business here,” Blachowicz continued in another message. “I’m just saying what I feel. Don’t blame me for it. Just letting you know this. This is all from me. I’m going back to the gym. Got a new opponent and a job to do.”

Blachowicz’s new opponent was officially announced during the UFC 295 broadcast. He will be running it back with Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 in a rematch from May 2022.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic 2 officially booked for UFC 297 in Toronto

A big light heayvweight matchup between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic has been added to UFC 297.

The UFC has added another big matchup to its first pay-per-view event of 2024.

Former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag] at UFC 297. The event takes place Jan. 20 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The bout was officially announced during the UFC 295 broadcast Saturday night.

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) will look to reenter the win column after a pair of frustrating results. In his last outing at UFC 291, Blachowicz lost a close split decision welcoming former middleweight champion Alex Periera to the light heavyweight division. That result followed a split draw against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 282 for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Blachowicz’s last win came against Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in their first meeting at UFC on ESPN 36. It was a TKO victory due to injury when Rakic’s knee gave out.

Rakic has not competed since the injury, which led to surgery on his ACL. Prior to the setback, he picked up a pair of unanimous decision wins over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.

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With the addition, the current UFC 297 lineup includes:

  • Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis – for middleweight title
  • Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva – for vacant women’s bantamweight title
  • Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott
  • Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Garrett Armfield vs. Brad Katona
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chris Curtis
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Sean Woodson
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
  • Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras
  • Jimmy Flick vs. Malcolm Gordon
  • Yohan Lainesse vs. Sam Patterson

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.

Why Alex Pereira expects Jiri Prochazka to be an easier fight than Jan Blachowicz

Alex Pereira sees Jan Blachowicz as a tougher test than Jiri Prochazka.

[autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] as a tougher test than [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag].

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) made good in his light heavyweight debut when he edged out former champion Blachowicz at UFC 291. With the win, “Poatan” is expected to face Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) for the vacant 205-pound title.

Pereira’s mentor and coach Glover Teixeira fought Prochazka in an all-out war at UFC 275. Teixeira ultimately was submitted late in Round 5, but was en route to winning before he got finished. Pereira helped Teixeira prep for that fight, so knows what to expect from Prochazka.

“I always analyze some things when I’m helping someone – in this case, helping Glover,” Pereira said in a translated interview with Laerte Viana. “So I’ve already studied him. But when he was going to fight Glover, it’s different now, the strategy. But I’ve seen some things there, and I’ll tell you, it’s a tough fight.”

Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) was able to take Pereira down and put him in a compromising position early in the fight – a strategy he was successfully able to employ when he handed middleweight champ Israel Adesanya his first-career loss.

But Pereira doesn’t see Prochazka going for a similar game plan, and for that reason, he sees himself having more success against him than he did Blachowicz.

“I think – and some people won’t agree – but I think Jan is a tougher fight because he has that grappling game, and it makes it a bit harder for me, makes my striking less effective,” Pereira said. “But I think it will be different with Jiri. I think he’ll come to fight on the feet.

“I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who will come to grapple. Everyone says that everyone who fights me will want to take me down. He might do that, but I’m not believing it yet. He’s a guy who will expose himself more, and I think it will be a dangerous fight. But I believe the matchup is better for me than against Jan.”

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Chael Sonnen: UFC 291 judges should’ve named Jan Blachowicz winner vs. Alex Pereira

Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira shouldn’t have gotten his hand raised vs. Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] shouldn’t have gotten his hand raised vs. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC 291.

Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) edged out Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) by split decision in Saturday’s co-main event at Delta Center at Salt Lake City, making good in his light heavyweight debut.

Blachowicz thought he was robbed. While Sonnen wouldn’t go as far as calling it a robbery, he thinks the judges got it wrong. Only judge Junichiro Kamijo agreed with Sonnen’s scorecard.

“There’s no reasonable world where Alex Pereira won that fight and that’s not Chael’s opinion. That’s math,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “He lost Rounds 1 and 3.”

Sonnen thinks Blachowicz’s body language harmed him, when he looked visibly exhausted potentially due to the altitude from Round 2 onwards.

“It was wrong,” Sonnen continued. “It wasn’t a robbery. I have seen worse. It was wrong. There is nothing by the numbers that could get you to the conclusion that Alex won. You can look at takedowns, you could look at attempts, you could look at strikes, you could look at kicks, you could look at defense and see who slipped more punches.

“There was nothing by the numbers that could get you to a belief that Alex won. The judges factored in a criteria, and they’re known to do this. It’s just not within the rules, of fatigue. Jan Blachowicz was exhausted and Alex was not. Jan Blachowicz could not move and Alex could.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Daniel Cormier: Jan Blachowicz didn’t do enough damage to warrant him winning vs. Alex Pereira

Daniel Cormier agrees with the judges’ decision to award Alex Pereira the win over Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] agrees with the judges’ decision to award [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] the win over [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] at UFC 291.

In his light heavyweight debut Saturday, Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) defeated former champion Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) by split decision at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. It’s a decision Blachowicz disagreed with.

Blachowicz took Pereira down and control him in Round 1, but slowed down significantly in Round 2 where Pereira capitalized with pressure. Round 3 was close, but Blachowicz’s late takedown wasn’t enough to get him the win. Cormier thinks Blachowicz didn’t inflict enough damage to get the nod.

“I thought it went well,” Cormier said on “DC & RC.” “I think we underestimated the grappling skills of Pereira because he is a striker. But we’ve got to remember, he’s training with Glover Teixeira every single day. So, for him to be able to survive with Blachowicz on his back, (it) should not be surprising because Glover submitted Jan Blachowicz when he got him down and dominated him on the ground. So, for him to be able to survive Glover would tell me he would be OK.

“But, I think that Jan Blachowicz might have been the only fighter that the altitude really took an effect on because he got tired as the fight went on. And sure, he got a takedown in the third round, but it wasn’t done early enough and he didn’t do enough damage to warrant him getting a victory. He was very upset. He tweeted that he got robbed, but I do not agree with him. I thought Alex Pereira won the fight. He showed that he’s a very capable fighter at 205 pounds.”

Pereira’s win likely set him up for a vacant light heavyweight title fight against former champion Jiri Prochazka – a fight Cormier sees as a stern test for “Poatan.”

“It’s a difficult fight for Alex Pereira because of Prochazka’s power,” Cormier said. “He will really feel the power of Prochazka, but the reality is, this guy has seen power before. He was 225 pounds on fight day. He weighed in at 205 on Friday. This is a massive fighter.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

UFC 291 post-event facts: Justin Gaethje’s insane bonus streak continues

The best facts to come out of UFC 291, which saw Justin Gaethje add to his bonus run and Derrick Lewis retake the octagon knockout record.

UFC 291 arguably was the event of the year on paper coming in, and the fights lived up to the hype with nine finishes in 11 bouts at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The main event delivered perhaps the best knockout of the year so far when [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) got revenge on [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) in their lightweight “BMF” title rematch courtesy of a brutal second-round head kick finish.

A number of historic feats occurred throughout the lineup. For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 291.