Jan Blachowicz says Aleksandar Rakic fight 'gives me some answers' in journey back to UFC title
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has dealt with loss before, but his last setback clearly stung worse than any others.
“It was a little bit worse because I lost the belt,” Blachowicz told MMA Junkie with a laugh.
The Polish powerhouse last stepped into a cage this past October, where he was upset by fellow veteran Glover Teixeira, suffering a second-round submission to the Brazilian fan-favorite.
Blachowicz joked afterward that he had left his “legendary Polish power” in the hotel that night in Abu Dhabi. As he now reflects on the performance, he admits things weren’t exactly 100 percent for him ahead of the contest.
“He was a tough opponent, but anyway, I wasn’t me,” Blachowicz said. “I don’t want to explain myself, you know, but it wasn’t my night, wasn’t my day. This fight shouldn’t have happened this day, not for me. But you know, I wasn’t champion this night. Glover was the champion, and that’s it, you know? But this time, I will not forget the legendary Polish power in the hotel. I will take it with me, and everything will be in the right place again.”
Blachowicz (28-9 MMA, 11-6 UFC) starts that journey on March 26, when he takes on top contender Aleksandar Rakic (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Tickets are currently on sale for the card at Ticketmaster.com.
It’s a key matchup, to be sure, with Blachowicz still sitting at No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA light heavyweight rankings and Rakic at No. 10. But Blachowicz sees it as both an entertaining contest for fans, as well as an important moment in his career.
“I’ve watched his fights, so I know how he fights, how his style is: strong, explosive young guy – really, really tall, so that’s going to be a tough fight. He likes fighting standup. Good kickboxer. I also like fighting standing up, so I think people are going to enjoy this fight. I think they’re going to see a lot of tough punches, kicks and stuff like this, so it’s going to be a really good fight, and I’m really happy.
“Look – I just want to go inside the octagon because also this fight gives me some answers, and I want these answers, and that’s it. New adventure for me, new history, first step to get the belt back.”
Ideally, Blachowicz said he hopes he impresses enough in the win that he’s able to get an immediate shot at the belt again.
“You know, that would be the perfect story – one win and the title shot again, but we will see,” Blachowicz said. “If the fight will be good, you know knockout in the first or second round, or submission, maybe they give me a title shot, but maybe I’m going to have another one. We’ll see. I’m ready to be the champion again, and it doesn’t matter if I have to one or two fights before it.”
If anyone is suited to rebound from a disappointing result, it’s Blachowicz. After all, in 2017, he was reeling from a 1-4 stretch and looking anything like a title contender before going on a 9-1 run that saw him claim the UFC’s light heavyweight title and defend it once before ceding it to Teixeira.
Blachowicz admits the defeat was an emotional one but feels primed to return in top form.
“When I think about my MMA career, I’ve got also a couple of wins, lose, couple wins, lose, and always after I lose, I come back stronger,” Blachowicz said. “This time will be the same because I’ve got exactly the same feeling inside me. You know, everybody sees it in the gym – they see the old Jan Blachowicz, who destroys almost everyone.”