Biggest Winners, Loser For UFC Rio Rancho

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Biggest Winner: Jan Blachowicz

This one is a no-brainer, as Blachowicz stunned not only Anderson, but the combat world, after knocking out “Beastin 25/8” with a vicious one-hitter quitter in the opening round. In doing so, the Polish striker likely punched his ticket to his first-ever title fight, and he did the smart thing by jawing at division king, Jon Jones, who just so happened to be in the crowd. Barring an immediate rematch between Jones and Dominick Reyes, there is nothing in front of Jan preventing him from getting the next crack to break “Bones,” as he has won three straight and seven of eight overall. A truely big night for the punishing striker.

Runner Up: John Dodson

We’re going all the way down to the “prelims” for this one, as Dodson won big in his home state. Early in round three, Dodson clipped Nathaniel Wood with two lighting-quick left jabs that drop the youngster. From there, “The Magician” pounced on his fallen foe and delivered some strikes until the referee on duty jumped in to put an end to the bout. With the win, Dodson bought himself some more time with UFC, as he avoided his third straight defeat and a possible release from the promotion. This is Dodson’s first win in nearly two years, so he can now breathe a huge sigh of relief moving forward after handing Wood his first loss inside the Octagon.

Biggest Loser: Corey Anderson

Winner of four in a row, Anderson was one more victory away from finally getting his much-desired title shot and perhaps more importantly, his chance to put hands on Jon Jones. Having not lost since 2017, “Overtime” was coming in with plenty of confidence, especially since he already had a win over Blachowicz. But his championship dreams all came crashing down after he fell victim to the Polish bomber’s powerful strikes in the opening frame. Now, Corey will have to once again work his way back up to contention. On the bright side, it’s not like there are a ton of contenders at 205 pounds who are in a position to be shouting for a title fight, so it shouldn’t take Corey too long before he can throw his name back in the mix. Still, the defeat is a crushing one of “Overtime,” who was oh-so close.

For complete UFC Fight Night 167 “Anderson vs. Blachowicz 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!