When he began his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure with a 2-4
record, Jan
Blachowicz was on the verge of losing his spot in the world’s
largest mixed martial arts organization.
Even after he righted the ship in the years that followed, it’s
been an uphill climb for the Polish standout to receive the proper
recognition he deserves. After besting middleweight champion
Israel
Adesanya in the UFC 259
headliner to retain the 205-pound crown at the UFC Apex in Las
Vegas on Saturday night, perhaps that can finally change.
“I defended my belt,” Blachowicz said at the post-fight press
conference. “Now I prove that I’m a true champion and I think now
I’m going to have respect from everybody. In the next fight, I will
not be the underdog anymore. But I don’t care anyway.”
Blachowicz has won nine of his last 10 UFC appearances, compiling a
resume that includes victories over the likes of Adesanya, Dominick
Reyes, Corey
Anderson, Ronaldo
Souza, Luke
Rockhold, Jimi Manuwa
and Jared
Cannonier, to name a few. In the vast majority of those fights
during his successful run, the former KSW title holder has been the
underdog. Over time, Blachowicz has become adept at blocking out
the doubters and the naysayers.
“I stopped listening to what people say,” Blachowicz admitted. “For
me, the most important thing is what my family says, what my
coaches say, what my friends say. What people that I never see in
my life and what they say? Who cares? Now I would listen to them,
what they say after this fight.
“This is something important for me. Before the fight, I don’t
care. After the fight… When I’m the underdog everybody says ‘he
doesn’t have enough to win the fight.’ After I won, what do you say
now? But anyway they are going to say it was luck or something like
this… I don’t care.”
UFC 259 was expected to be a coronation for Adesanya, allowing “The
Last Stylebender” to become the promotion’s seventh two-division
champion and potentially setting up a lucrative grudge match with
Jon
Jones down the road. Instead, Blachowicz proved to be too
patient, strong and technical for the Nigerian-born Kiwi.
While Blachowicz sealed his victory with takedowns and top control
in the championship frames, he also outlanded his opponent by a
107-to-78 count in significant strikes. Even though he didn’t get
to showcase his vaunted “Polish Power,” Blachowicz gradually
asserted himself over the course of the 25-minute contest. By the
time the scorecards were announced, it was clear who the winner
would be.
“For sure it was a tough fight, it was a close fight, but Izzy
kicked a little bit more than I did. I think my boxing was a little
bit better than his, my wrestling was much better than his,”
Blachowicz said. “I won the fight and that’s it, but it was a tough
fight … I’m happy that I can be the first to beat him, one of the
best in the world.
“I’m a true champion, I deserve what I got. It was a hard
job for me tonight, but I do my best. We did almost everything —
what we prepared for him in the gym we did in the fight. I’m happy.
I won the fight and what we do works in the fight. I should have
wrestled him a little bit more a little bit earlier, I should have
put more pressure on him. I should have put more of my boxing
skills on him, but he’s a great fighter, he wouldn’t let me go, but
anyway, I did almost everything that we trained for.”
Blachowicz, who recently turned 38, might not be the superstar that
Adesanya was marketed to be, but he continues to defy the odds and
win consistently. After UFC 259, the world has no choice but to
take notice.
“I just want to represent my country. Represent maybe not only my
country, but just true sport and the legendary Polish power,” he
said. “I’m proud that I can show the whole world the legendary
Polish power.”