What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in Sao Paulo? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Jan Blachowicz is good, but not the guy
No disrespect to Jan Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC), but it’s hard to imagine anyone who spent 30 minutes of their Saturday night watching that underwhelming split decision win over Ronaldo Souza in the main event is now clamoring to see the Polish fighter challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
Not only did Blachowicz fail to produce the emphatic finish that fellow contenders Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson delivered in their most recent wins, but he hardly had any memorable moments against “Jacare.” It was a grinding 25-minute affair, and not much happened that could serve as evidence he would stand a chance against Jones.
If Blachowicz ends up with a title shot – be it after this win or the next one – it will almost certainly be by default because there isn’t a more compelling matchup. It would be a huge moment for his career to reach that height, of course, but there’s no way that performance against Souza elevated the perception he can be champion while “Bones” is running the block.
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