Jan Błachowicz
Polish mixed martial artist (born 1983)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Maciej Błachowicz[6] (Polish: [ˈjan bwaˈxɔvitʂ]; born 24 February 1983) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Błachowicz is the second Polish fighter to win a UFC title after Joanna Jędrzejczyk and the first male Polish champion. A professional since 2007, he also competed for KSW and is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion.
24 February 1983
Cieszyn, Poland
| Jan Błachowicz | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Błachowicz at UFC Fight Night 136 post fight interview in Moscow, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Jan Maciej Błachowicz 24 February 1983 Cieszyn, Poland | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | |||||||||||||||||
| Division | Light heavyweight | |||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Warsaw, Poland | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | Berkut WCA Fight Team (until 2014, 2017–present)[2][3] Ankos MMA (2014–2017)[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4] under Kamil Umiński and Radosław Turek[5] | |||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2007–present | |||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 42 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 29 | |||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
As of July 25, 2026, he is #13 in the Meta UFC light heavyweight rankings.[7]
Background
Growing up in Cieszyn, Poland, Błachowicz started training in martial arts – initially judo at the age of nine – due to the influence of action movies, he also did grappling, muay thai (where he achieved 34 wins) and won tournaments in both sports before transitioning into mixed martial arts.[8]
Mixed martial arts career
KSW
Błachowicz entered in KSWs inaugural <95 kg (209 lb) Tournament at KSW 9. Defeating three opponents in one night, Błachowicz was able to claim the tournament crown. His first opponent was Martin Zawada, who he defeated by unanimous decision. Błachowicz was able to defeat his next two opponents by armbar, including the notable opponent Antoni Chmielewski.[9]
Błachowicz went on to defeat Christian M'Pumbu four months later via armbar, before defeating previously unbeaten Maro Perak in December 2008.
Looking to expand his horizons after the very successful year 2008, Błachowicz accepted the invitation of Tomasz Drwal and joined him at the Throwdown Training Center in San Diego for a few months. He agreed to temporarily fight at Heavyweight, against Lloyd Marshbanks under the War Gods banner, but the event was canceled. Despite suffering a serious knee injury in July, Błachowicz continued his training, as he agreed to fight "somewhere in Mexico". About three weeks later, his knee suddenly popped in training when executing a takedown. The anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee was destroyed, making a knee reconstruction after his return to Poland inevitable.[10]
Return to MMA
Błachowicz was planning his comeback fight in March against Aleksandar Radosavljevic at WFC 10, but decided to withdraw and was replaced by fellow KSW TEAM member Antoni Chmielewski. After finally returning from the knee injury and 17 months layoff,[10] Błachowicz entered into the second KSW <95 kg tournament. Błachowicz had to face two opponents in the same night. His first opponent was the undefeated Brazilian Julio Brutus. Błachowicz was able to knock Brutus out with a high kick-right hook combination at 3:40 in the first round. In the semifinal, Błachowicz submitted his training partner Wojciech Orłowski with a rear-naked choke after just 1:37.[11]
In the meantime, Błachowicz took a fight on a few days notice against Nikolai Onikienko and submitted him in the second round.
He then faced Daniel Tabera in the final of the tournament at KSW XIV, winning via TKO in the second round and becoming once again the KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion. Błachowicz then faced Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou for the vacant KSW Light Heavyweight Championship at KSW XV. He lost the fight via TKO, being unable to answer the bell for the third round because of his injured leg.[12]
Błachowicz had a rematch with Sokoudjou at KSW XVII. He won the bout via unanimous decision to become the new KSW Light Heavyweight Champion. His next three fights in KSW were against Mario Miranda, Houston Alexander and Goran Reljic, and all three he won by unanimous decision.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In January 2014, after completing a 17–3 record on the European scene, Błachowicz signed a contract to fight in the light heavyweight division of the UFC.[13]
In his UFC debut, Błachowicz faced Ilir Latifi on 4 October 2014 at UFC Fight Night 53.[14] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[15]
Błachowicz faced Jimi Manuwa on 11 April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64.[16] Błachowicz lost the fight via unanimous decision.[17]
Błachowicz was expected to face Anthony Johnson on 5 September 2015 at UFC 191.[18] However, Johnson was pulled from the bout on 30 July in favor of a fight with Jimi Manuwa at the event.[19] In turn, Błachowicz instead faced Corey Anderson on the same card.[20] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[21]
Błachowicz next faced Igor Pokrajac on 10 April 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86.[22] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[23]
Błachowicz faced Alexander Gustafsson on 3 September 2016 at UFC Fight Night 93.[24] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[25]
Błachowicz was expected to face Ovince Saint Preux on 4 February 2017 at UFC Fight Night 104.[26] However, he pulled out on 21 January due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Volkan Oezdemir.[27]
Błachowicz was quickly rescheduled and faced Patrick Cummins on 8 April 2017 at UFC 210.[28] After a strong first round where he rocked Cummins on multiple occasions, Błachowicz soon fell to Cummins' wrestling and his own lack of stamina in the second and third rounds. He lost the fight via majority decision.[29]
Błachowicz faced Devin Clark on 21 October 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till.[30] He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.[31] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[32]
Błachowicz faced Jared Cannonier on 16 December 2017 at UFC on Fox 26.[33] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[34]
Błachowicz faced Jimi Manuwa in a rematch on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.[35] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[36] The win also earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus award.[37]
Błachowicz faced Nikita Krylov on 15 September 2018 at UFC Fight Night 136.[38] He won the fight via arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.[39] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[40]
Błachowicz faced Thiago Santos on 23 February 2019 at UFC Fight Night 145.[41] Błachowicz was caught with a counter in the third round and lost by TKO, marking the first time in his MMA career that he has been stopped due to strikes.[42]
Błachowicz faced Luke Rockhold on 6 July 2019 at UFC 239.[43] He won the fight via knockout in the second round.[44] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[45]
Błachowicz then faced Ronaldo Souza on 16 November 2019 at UFC Fight Night 164.[46] He won the fight by a split decision.[47]
Błachowicz faced Corey Anderson on 15 February 2020 at UFC Fight Night 167 in a rematch of their previous bout.[48] Błachowicz won the bout via first-round knockout.[49] The victory earned him his fourth Performance of the Night bonus award.[50]
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Błachowicz faced Dominick Reyes for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253.[51] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[52] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[53]
Błachowicz faced UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya for his first title defense on 6 March 2021 at UFC 259.[54] He won the fight via unanimous decision, becoming the first person to defeat Adesanya in the UFC.[55]
Błachowicz was expected to make his second title defense against Glover Teixeira at UFC 266 on 25 September 2021.[56] However, the bout was postponed and moved to 30 October 2021 at UFC 267.[57] Błachowicz lost the fight and the title via second-round rear-naked choke submission.[58][59]
Post championship
Błachowicz was scheduled to face Aleksandar Rakić on 26 March 2022 at UFC on ESPN 33.[60] However, in late January, Błachowicz withdrew due to injury[61] and the bout was rescheduled for UFC on ESPN 36 on 14 May 2022.[62] Błachowicz won the fight via technical knockout after Rakić was rendered unable to continue in the third round due to a knee injury.[63]
Błachowicz faced off against Magomed Ankalaev on 10 December 2022 at UFC 282 for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.[64][65] The fight ended in a controversial[66][67] split draw.[68] 23 out of 25 media members scored the fight as a win for Ankalaev.[69]
Błachowicz faced former UFC Middleweight champion Alex Pereira on 29 July 2023 at UFC 291.[70] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[71] 22 out of 26 media outlets scored the bout for Pereira.[72]
Błachowicz was scheduled to face Aleksandar Rakić in a rematch on 20 January 2024 at UFC 297.[73] However, Błachowicz withdrew due to shoulder surgery.[74]
Błachowicz faced Carlos Ulberg on 22 March 2025 at UFC Fight Night 255.[75] He lost the close fight by unanimous decision.[76] 8 out of 12 media outlets scored the bout for Ulberg.[77]
Błachowicz was scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov on 22 November 2025 at UFC Fight Night 265.[78] However, for unknown reasons, it was moved and took place on 6 December 2025, at UFC 323.[79] The bout ended in a majority draw.[80]
Błachowicz was scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov in a rematch on 9 May 2026 at UFC 328.[81] However, Błachowicz withdrew due to a torn meniscus.[82] The bout was re-scheduled for 1 August 2026 at UFC Fight Night 283.[83] In turn, on 13 July, Guskov was moved to headline the previous week's event, UFC Fight Night 282 after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew due to injury.[84] Błachowicz was originally asked to step in on short notice for the prior week's main event but said he was not able to make the weight limit one week prior to his scheduled bout.[84] Błachowicz will remain on the 1 August 2026 card and is scheduled to face Navajo Stirling.[85]
Personal life
Błachowicz is a close friend of former UFC fighter Tomasz Drwal. They were training together at the Throwdown Training Center in San Diego when he suffered his knee injury in 2009. Some time ago he moved to Warsaw with his girlfriend, changing his long-time club Octagon Rybnik to Paweł Nastula's club. He also occasionally trains in Alliance MMA with names such as Alexander Gustafsson, Phil Davis, Joey Beltran, and Dominick Cruz.[10]
Błachowicz confirmed the birth of his son in December 2020.[86]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
- First male Polish champion in UFC history
- Performance of the Night (Five times) vs. Devin Clark, Nikita Krylov, Luke Rockhold, Corey Anderson and Dominick Reyes[87][88][89][90][53]
- Tied (Forrest Griffin & Tito Ortiz) for sixth most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (6)
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Jimi Manuwa [91]
- Tied (Jon Jones) for fourth most bouts in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (22)[92]
- Seventh most wins in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (12)[92]
- Second most total fight time in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (4:51:56)[92]
- Second most significant strikes landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (1037)[92]
- Third most total strikes landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (1466)[92]
- Most decision bouts in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (13)
- UFC.com Awards
- UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki
- KSW Light Heavyweight Championship (One time; former)
- Two successful title defenses
- KSW 2010 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
- KSW 2008 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
- KSW 2007 Light Heavyweight Tournament Winner
- Fight of the Night (Three times)
- KSW Light Heavyweight Championship (One time; former)
- Yahoo! Sports
- 2020 MMA Fighter of the Year[98]
- CBS Sports
- 2020 #3 Ranked UFC Fighter of the Year[99]
- Slacky Awards
- 2018 Technical Turn-Around of the Year tied with Dustin Poirier and Henry Cejudo[100]
Muay Thai
- 2008: European Open Cup − 1st place, 91 kg (A class)
- 2008: IFMA World Championships − 1st place, 91 kg (B class)
- 2007: IFMA World Championships − 3rd place, 91 kg (B class)
- 2007: Polish Championships − 1st place, over 91 kg
- 2006: Polish Cup − 3rd place 91 kg
Grappling
- 2007: Polish BJJ League − 1st place, 98 kg
- 2007: Polish Open Submission Fighting Championships − 2nd place, 99 kg
- 2007: Polish BJJ Cup − 1st place, 97 kg
- 2005: Polish BJJ Championships − 3rd place, open
- 2005: Polish BJJ Cup − 1st place, over 91 kg
Mixed martial arts record
| 42 matches | 29 wins | 11 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 2 |
| By submission | 9 | 2 |
| By decision | 11 | 7 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw | 29–11–2 | Bogdan Guskov | Draw (majority) | UFC 323 | 6 December 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 29–11–1 | Carlos Ulberg | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady | 22 March 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 29–10–1 | Alex Pereira | Decision (split) | UFC 291 | 29 July 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Draw | 29–9–1 | Magomed Ankalaev | Draw (split) | UFC 282 | 10 December 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 29–9 | Aleksandar Rakić | TKO (knee injury) | UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić | 14 May 2022 | 3 | 1:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 28–9 | Glover Teixeira | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 267 | 30 October 2021 | 2 | 3:02 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 28–8 | Israel Adesanya | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 259 | 6 March 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 27–8 | Dominick Reyes | TKO (punches) | UFC 253 | 27 September 2020 | 2 | 4:36 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Won the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 26–8 | Corey Anderson | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2 | 15 February 2020 | 1 | 3:08 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 25–8 | Ronaldo Souza | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré | 16 November 2019 | 5 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 24–8 | Luke Rockhold | KO (punches) | UFC 239 | 6 July 2019 | 2 | 1:39 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 23–8 | Thiago Santos | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos | 23 February 2019 | 3 | 0:39 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 23–7 | Nikita Krylov | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik | 15 September 2018 | 2 | 2:41 | Moscow, Russia | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 22–7 | Jimi Manuwa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov | 17 March 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 21–7 | Jared Cannonier | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos | 16 December 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| Win | 20–7 | Devin Clark | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till | 21 October 2017 | 2 | 3:02 | Gdańsk, Poland | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 19–7 | Patrick Cummins | Decision (majority) | UFC 210 | 8 April 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Buffalo, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 19–6 | Alexander Gustafsson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett | 3 September 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 19–5 | Igor Pokrajac | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos | 10 April 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Zagreb, Croatia | |
| Loss | 18–5 | Corey Anderson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 191 | 5 September 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 18–4 | Jimi Manuwa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 | 11 April 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Kraków, Poland | |
| Win | 18–3 | Ilir Latifi | TKO (body kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story | 4 October 2014 | 1 | 1:58 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 17–3 | Goran Reljić | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 22 | 16 March 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | Defended the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–3 | Houston Alexander | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 20 | 15 September 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Gdańsk, Poland | Defended the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–3 | Mario Miranda | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 18 | 25 February 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Płock, Poland | Non-title bout. |
| Win | 14–3 | Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou | Decision (unanimous) | KSW 17 | 26 November 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Łódź, Poland | Won the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–3 | Toni Valtonen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 16 | 21 May 2011 | 2 | 1:23 | Gdańsk, Poland | |
| Loss | 12–3 | Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou | TKO (retirement) | KSW 15 | 19 March 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Warsaw, Poland | For the vacant KSW Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–2 | Daniel Tabera | TKO (punches) | KSW 14 | 24 September 2010 | 2 | 4:20 | Łódź, Poland | Won the 2010 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament. |
| Win | 11–2 | Nikolai Onikienko | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Modern Fighting Pankration: Volga Cup 2010 | 24 June 2010 | 2 | 2:32 | Cheboksary, Russia | |
| Win | 10–2 | Wojciech Orłowski | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 13 | 7 May 2010 | 1 | 1:37 | Katowice, Poland | 2010 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 9–2 | Julio Brutus | KO (head kick and punch) | 1 | 3:40 | 2010 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. | |||
| Win | 8–2 | Maro Perak | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KSW 10 | 12 December 2008 | 2 | 1:51 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 7–2 | Christian M'Pumbu | Submission (armbar) | KSW Extra | 13 September 2008 | 2 | 3:12 | Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland | |
| Win | 6–2 | Aziz Karaoglu | Submission (armbar) | KSW 9 | 9 May 2008 | 1 | 4:13 | Warsaw, Poland | Won the 2008 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament. |
| Win | 5–2 | Antoni Chmielewski | Submission (armbar) | 2 | 2:54 | 2008 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. | |||
| Win | 4–2 | Martin Zawada | Decision (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | 2008 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. | |||
| Loss | 3–2 | Andre Fyeet | Submission (kimura) | KSW 8 | 10 November 2007 | 1 | 1:57 | Warsaw, Poland | |
| Win | 3–1 | Daniel Dowda | TKO (knee and punches) | KSW Elimination | 15 September 2007 | 1 | 1:35 | Wrocław, Poland | Won the 2007 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament. |
| Win | 2–1 | Pawel Gasinski | TKO (punches) | 1 | 2:36 | 2007 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. | |||
| Win | 1–1 | Sebastian Olchawa | Decision (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | Light Heavyweight debut. 2007 KSW Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal. | |||
| Loss | 0–1 | Marcin Krysztofiak | Decision (unanimous) | Full Contact Prestige 3 | 25 February 2007 | 2 | 5:00 | Poznań, Poland | Openweight bout. |
Pay-per-view bouts
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 259 | Błachowicz vs. Adesanya | 6 March 2021 | UFC Apex | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 800,000[102] |
| 2. | UFC 282 | Błachowicz vs. Ankalaev | 10 December 2022 | T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | Not Disclosed[103] |