The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first pay-per-view card of
2024 has been graced with a matchup of elite light
heavyweights.
Former champ Jan
Blachowicz (29-10) will take on contender Aleksandar
Rakic in a rematch (14-3) at UFC 297
on Jan. 20 in Toronto. The booking was announced by the promotion
during the UFC 295 broadcast on Saturday night.
Blachowicz and Rakic previously shared the Octagon in the main
event of UFC on ESPN 36 in May 2022. It was an evenly-matched
affair before Rakic blew out his knee in the third round, bringing
the bout to an anti-climactic end. The Austrian has since undergone
ACL surgery and has been rallying for this booking to settle
unfinished business.
Meanwhile, Blachowicz missed out on a bid for the vacant title
against Magomedov Ankalaev at UFC 282 in December with a split
draw. The Pole then welcomed former middleweight champ Alex
Pereira to the 205-pound weight class at UFC 291 in July.
“Poatan” eked out a razor-thin split decision victory, which set
him up for a clash for the vacant title against Jiri
Prochazka at UFC 295.