It’s been a few days since we saw UFC 267 where Jan Blachowicz (28-9) lost his light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira (33-7). Of course, the day of the event and the follow up days have all been focused on the 42 year old Teixeira who captured UFC gold after all of these years.
The story is too good to ignore and Teixeira deserved all the shine that he got. However, I started thinking about the former champion. Thinking about the incredible run that he went on over the past few years that saw him capture UFC gold.
Jan Blachowicz was at one point 2-4 in six fights. He truly looked like a fighter who was about to be cut by the UFC. However, things started to change and the Polish Power presented itself. Blachowicz’s would go on a stretch where he was 9-1.
In those wins he had wins over Israel Adesanya, Dominick Reyes, Corey Anderson, Luke Rockhold, and others. He truly looked like the best light heavyweight in the world not just in the UFC. However, Saturday night, he didn’t look close to being the best in the world.
What happened at UFC 267 and what’s next?
The performance was not good from Blachowicz on Saturday. He was beaten to the punch on the feet by Teixeira and he had no answer for Glover’s takedowns. Anyone who is anyone knew that the only way Teixeira would win is by getting takedowns.
He was able to get them easily at UFC 267. Blachowicz never landed anything of significance that backed off Teixeira. In the second round, Teixeira actually rocked Blachowicz on the feet before a takedown led to a choke and the finish.
I was stunned by the result and honestly thought Blachowicz would knock him out. After beating the guys he did, I didn’t think Blachowicz could lose to Glover at UFC 267. Maybe the Polish Power thought the same thing.
Whether you want to say it was just a bad night or whether you want to say he overlooked Teixeira, no matter what, something went wrong at UFC 267. So, what does Jan Blachowicz do now that he’s lost in the fashion that he did.
Well, he’s going to need a big win to show he’s still at the top of the division. Guys like Aleksandar Rakic or Anthony Smith could be on deck for Blachowicz. Either way, Blachowicz should be put right back in there with a top contender so he can prove to the UFC, he’s still the same guy with the legendary Polish Power.