Jan
Blachowicz’s Octagon return didn’t end in victory, but there
were at least some observers who thought the Polish light
heavyweight deserved the nod on the scorecards.
Advertisement
After being sidelined for nearly 20 months due to multiple shoulder
surgeries, Blachowicz dropped a closely-contested unanimous
decision to Carlos
Ulberg in the UFC London co-headliner this past Saturday. Four
of the 12 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com saw the contest in favor of
Blachowicz. While Ulberg held a 75-to-59 advantage in significant
strikes landed, his favored offense in the fight was leg kicks,
where he outlanded his foe 50 to 32.
Blachowicz reacted to the ruling in a recent post on his Instagram
account.
“More controversy on the record, as it turns out the approach to
significant strikes doesn’t align with the actual meaning,”
Blachowicz wrote. “I’ll leave the verdict for discussion. What
happened in the stands after the announcement, and what’s happening
online right now, is pretty telling.
“I appreciate it, but the verdict is out there, and unfortunately,
it will stay on my record. We keep moving forward, going for more.
Your support has been huge, and I’ll remember this moment for a
long time.”
The former 205-pound champion is no stranger to narrow verdicts on
the scorecards. Prior to facing Ulberg, Blachowicz fell to Alex
Pereira via split decision in the Brazilian’s light heavyweight
debut at UFC 291. And one fight before that, he battled Magomed
Ankalaev to a split draw in a fight for the vacant light
heavyweight crown at UFC 282.
Even at 42 years old and coming off a significant surgery,
Blachowicz still proved himself to be a difficult test for one of
the division’s rising contenders. Despite the disappointing nature
of the defeat, he was able to appreciate the other aspects of his
return.
“This camp was one of the best I’ve had. I missed this, every part
of this game,” Blachowicz wrote. “The welcome and support during
fight week from the whole [UFC] team was amazing — I knew you
missed me, but I didn’t know it was like this. Thank you!”