At UFC 259, Jan Blachowicz secured a hugely impressive win in his first light heavyweight title defence. The Polish powerhouse picked up a unanimous decision victory over 185lb champ Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya was moving up a division in an attempt to become the fifth double champion in UFC history. This would set up a potential super fight with the former 205lb champion Jon Jones. Blachowicz of course had different plans. He went strike for strike with ‘The Last Stylenender’ in the first three rounds and then utilised his wrestling prowess to dominate the championship rounds on the ground.
However, despite this impressive victory, former light heavyweight & heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier does not believe Blachowicz to be the best 205lb fighter in the world.
Speaking on the DC & Helwani show, Cormier stated the following:
“Even today, for as much as we love Jan Blachowicz and how great he did, I still think that (Jon) Jones is the best 205-pounder in the world.”
Do you agree with @dc_mma? pic.twitter.com/lmLTfReWq7
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 8, 2021
It does seem harsh of DC to put such a damper on Blachowicz following such a dominant performance. Jones has vacated the light heavyweight belt and is in the process of stacking on muscle so he can challenge for the Heavyweight title. This would surely imply that ‘Bones’ is no longer a light heavyweight, and thus Jan should get the plaudits he has earned.
It is notable that Daniel Cormier was defeated by Jones, twice, at 205lbs. Once by decision, and once by (T)KO. Jones is likely the greatest 205er of all time, but that’s not his division anymore. Blachowicz will likely fight Glover Teixeira next. Maybe a win over the Brazilian veteran will force the likes of Cormier to stop sleeping on the Polish champion.
PUT THE RESPECT ON MY NAME.#LegendaryPolishPower #UFC259 #AndStill pic.twitter.com/kXJ8l0zyy6
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) March 7, 2021
