Jan Blachowicz was the last person to find out that he was fighting for the light heavyweight title.
Last week, the now former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka was forced out of his scheduled title defense against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 due to injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future. Prochazka was forced to give up his title. The previously scheduled co-main event fight between Blachowicz & Magomed Ankalaev has been moved to the headlining spot, and Prochazka now holds the title. And while he’s very happy with the opportunity, Blachowicz, who was flying to Las Vegas at the time everything happened, says he had no idea he’d be fighting for the belt until after the deal was already done.
“I didn’t know nothing,” Blachowicz told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. My phone rings constantly and I’m shaking every time my phone rings. I’m like, ‘What happened? Something happened.’ I already know that something happened because [I have] too many messages. First, I ask my manager (also my fiancee) to confirm. I then read the message four- or five more times as I am unable to understand it. I don’t believe what’s happened, what she wrote to me. The message I received was titled “A title shot” and it was shown to my coaches. It’s happened.’ Later I called to her and said, ‘Hey, you’re not joking with me? It’s true? We’re really going to fight for the title?’ ‘Yeah,’ and she told me the whole story. Literally, I didn’t know anything. I was the last person to know that we were going to fight for the title.”
Though Blachowicz ultimately got the title opportunity, he was not the UFC’s first choice. Reportedly, Teixeira first got the offer to fight Ankalaev for the vacant title, but he refused given the short notice, offering instead to face Blachowicz at UFC 282, as the two men had already fought before. Blachowicz was chosen by the UFC to take down that offer. The possessor of the “Legendary Polish Power” doesn’t know why the UFC wasn’t interested in a rematch between the two, but says he would have like that fight just as well.
“I also would like to do this rematch,” Blachowicz said. It’s only one rematch that I want to have [and] for every loss. It hurts me because it is something I feel I am capable of fighting better than the first fight, and that I could beat Glover. But it is what it is. Maybe the UFC… just wanted to do something new. Also, Ankalaev has how many wins in a row? He is worthy to compete for the title.”
Ankalaev is sure to do. The 30-year-old Dagestani fighter is 18-1 in his MMA career, with his lone loss coming in the literal last second of a bout he was comfortably winning. 9-0 since that setback, including a win over Thiago Santos — who defeated Blachowicz — many fans view Ankalaev as the future of the light heavyweight division, and Blachowicz knows just how good he is.
” Very good fighter. Young fighter. Blachowicz stated that there were many wins over the years. “It’s going to be a tough opponent for me, but everybody is tough in the UFC. I’m ready for him. He has everything I need. We trained for him. We are aware of his strengths and weaknesses. I must do my best to keep him safe in the octagon.
“He was able to fight with some of the best fighters in the world. His fights were with top fighters, and he was very skilled. I have to pay attention for all the details, including knockout punch power, wrestling skills, and good ground control. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, but in a way, I go to this fight with the win in my head, always.”
UFC 282 takes place on Dec. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/4/23482866/jan-blachowicz-recounts-being-the-last-person-to-know-about-ufc-282-title-fight?rand=96749
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