No Title Shot? No Problem!

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Jan Blachowicz is hoping to solidify his status as the next light heavyweight title challenger tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 16, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 164 live on ESPN+ from inside Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when he welcomes Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to the 205-pound division.

Blachowicz, 36, is coming off a huge knockout win over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold back in July. The Polish finisher had lost to Anthony Smith via TKO in his previous Octagon appearance, but the finish over Rockhold was so impressive that talks of a title shot against light heavyweight champion Jon Jones began to surface.

“(It’s) also a pleasure for me to fight against someone like that, because he’s also a legend,” Blachowicz said.

Souza, who is coming off a disappointing decision loss to Jack Hermansson back in April, is hoping to recapture some momentum in the growing light heavyweight division and prove that he’s still a capable contender at 39 years of age. Even though Souza is competing at 205 pounds for the first time in his 16-year professional career, Blachowicz understands that the Brazilian legend is still as dangerous as ever.

“You have to be prepared for the best in every fight,” Blachowicz said. “For me, it’s another opponent. I don’t think he’s going to change his ways coming to my division. I’m going to prepare for the best version of ‘Jacare.’

“I don’t care if it’s someone cutting down from heavyweight, or moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight. It’s just another opponent, and I have to do a great job.”

Should Blachowicz defeat Souza this weekend at UFC Sao Paulo he’d extend his Octagon record to 6-1 in his last seven appearances, making him a prime candidate to challenge Jones for his light heavyweight crown. But considering talks fell through earlier this year, Blachowicz isn’t holding his breath for a shot at “Bones” in 2020.

“Nobody knows, because nobody knows what Jon Jones will do,” Blachowicz said. “I believe if I beat ‘Jacare’ I’m going to be a contender for the title shot. But nobody knows what (Jones) has in his head. We’ll just have to wait and see what’s going to happen.”

To see who else is fighting at UFC Sao Paulo click here.