Blachowicz Forced To Undergo Double Shoulder Surgery

Last night (Fri., Dec. 22, 2023), Israel Adesanya announced that he would be returning quicker than many fight fans expected. One day later, the man who handed him his first professional loss, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, has announced that he’s going to be out even longer than anticipated.

“First shoulder operated on,” Blachowicz wrote. “Unfortunately, there was too much work to do with one, so they couldn’t fix both at once. Another surgery soon. I’ll have to wait a little longer to come back. I wish you all Merry Christmas!”

At the start of December, Blachowicz was forced to withdraw from his planned UFC 297 rematch versus Aleksandar Rakic due to the injured shoulder. According to the former champion, pain in both shoulders left him with the strength of a toddler, definitely unable to compete against an elite talent. Subsequently, Rakic was rebooked for a UFC 300 showdown against Jiri Prochazka.

A second shoulder surgery isn’t the best of news for Blachowicz. “Polish Power” is already 40 years of age, and he’s winless (0-1-1) in his last two bouts. Those bouts came against some of the absolute best fighters at 205 lbs., but still, it’s not going to be easy to come back from major surgery and an extended layoff to get back into the title picture.

Here’s wishing Blachowicz all the best in recovery.