That level was where Blachowicz was expected to be as soon as he made his UFC debut in 2014. With a 17-3 record and wins over UFC vets Sokoudjou, Mario Miranda and Houston Alexander, Blachowicz made an immediate impression with his sub-2:00 finish of Latifi, and it was assumed that the train would keep rolling to the top of the division.
But there were detours, mainly a 1-4 stretch in 2015-17 that stopped any momentum he had. Yet beginning with an October 2017 submission of Devin Clark, Blachowicz found his way again, reminding the world and himself that in the UFC, there are no easy fights, and it’s those who can win those fights consistently are the ones that eventually wear championship gold.
“I know when I signed a contract with the UFC, I was going to be fighting with the best guys in the world,” he said. “And I’m also one of the best guys in the world, so I like to fight with the best. It doesn’t make sense for me to fight with no names. So it makes me proud that I can fight with Jacare, he’s like a legend to me.”
The Brazilian groundfighting wizard has been among the best middleweights in the world for several years, but making 185 pounds proved to be too much of a chore to continue, so now he will attempt to break into the light heavyweight top ten in this home game in Brazil. Blachowicz isn’t about to let that happen.
MORE SAO PAULO: Main Event Preview | Blachowicz & Paul Craig on Unfiltered | Jacare Is Back | Paul Craig Enters The Lion’s Den | Jared Gordon Got His Mojo Back | Randy Brown Always Ready