LAS VEGAS – Jan Blachowicz thinks he’s in line for a title shot after his win over Aleksandar Rakic in the UFC on ESPN 36, which he admits didn’t come how he envisioned.
In his first fight since losing the UFC light heavyweight belt to Glover Teixeira in September, Blachowicz (29-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) earned a third-round TKO over Rakic (14-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The fight ended when Rakic’s knee buckled, and he was unable to continue fighting.
“I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior,” Blachowicz told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC on ESPN 36 post-fight news conference. “It’s better when you win by KO, TKO or submission clean. But my body was tougher tonight. That’s it. End of story. I was ready for third, fourth, five rounds. He was not.”
Blachowicz didn’t come out of the fight in ideal health himself, either. He suffered a cut directly under his left eye just minutes into the first round, and was forced to fight through it until the end. The Polish fighter said he will need surgery to repair the damage, and it’s possible it could be a “big” issue.
Any pain is overshadowed by Blachowicz’s jubilation, though. The 39-year-old admits he had some questions about himself after his fairytale run to UFC gold was derailed by a submission loss to Teixeira in which he showed minimal resistance.
Blachowicz said he found the answered he needed, and he’s now even more confident he can make another championship run.
“I was looking for this answer,” Blachowicz said. “This fight gave me this answer that I want: to feel the same as when I fought before Glover, when I fight against Israel (Adesanya) or Dominick Reyes. I’m just happy because I go inside the octagon to do the job, to have a great fight, but also to have fun and enjoy – and I did.”
With Teixeira set to put the 205-pound title on the line against Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 275 headliner on June 11 in Singapore, Blachowicz said he’s hopeful he’ll receive a call to fight the winner.
“I hope that UFC give me another title shot,” Blachowicz said. “I was No. 1. Rakic was No. 3. For me, it was obvious that I’m No. 1 contender now for the title shot.”
Jan Blachowicz: ‘My body was tougher’ in injury TKO win over Aleksandar Rakic
