Jan Błachowicz, head-and-shoulders portrait

Jan Błachowicz

Light Heavyweight
Former UFC champion
Former KSW champion
Record Record: 29-12-2
Wins
29
Losses
12
Draws
2
9KO/TKO
9Sub
11Dec
View full record ↓

Vitals

Height, reach, and career background.

Age
43
Height
6′2″1.88 m
Reach
78″198 cm
Stance StanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
Orthodox
Weight class
Light Heavyweight
Nationality
Poland
Team
Ankos MMA - Zapaśniczy 67, Warszawa
Active
2007-present

Record

Tap expandable fights for their breakdowns.

LossRecord after fight: 29-12-2TKO
Opponent: Navajo Stirling, their record after the fight: 11-0-0elbows and punchesR1 2:56

Blachowicz’s stiff jab forced Stirling to a knee in the opening exchanges. Stirling answered with a clean right hand. The right hand sent Blachowicz backwards, and Stirling chased him to the mat. Stirling then worked with ground-and-pound. Heavy ground-and-pound opened Blachowicz until the referee stepped in at 2:56 of round one.

Key moments

  • A stiff jab forced Stirling to a knee in the opening exchanges.
  • Stirling answered with a right hand that sent Blachowicz backwards and took the fight to the mat.
  • Heavy ground-and-pound opened Blachowicz and brought the referee in at 2:56 of round one.
DrawRecord after fight: 29-11-2DRAW
Opponent: Bogdan Guskov, their record after the fight: 18-3-1MajorityR3 5:00
UFC 323
6 Dec 2025

Błachowicz's most recent outing ended in a majority draw with Bogdan Guskov after three rounds. The result mattered because it stopped the slide after the Carlos Ulberg loss without fully resetting it, and it showed the veteran still had enough control and durability to make a fast-rising puncher work for every clean exchange.

Key moments

  • Fought Guskov to a majority draw over three rounds at UFC 323.
  • The result followed the unanimous-decision loss to Carlos Ulberg in March 2025.
  • It was Błachowicz's second draw in his previous five fights.
LossRecord after fight: 29-11-1DEC
Opponent: Carlos Ulberg, their record after the fight: 12-1-0UnanimousR3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady
22 Mar 2025

Ulberg forced Błachowicz through a full fifteen minutes and left with a unanimous decision. The fight matters because it confirmed that the post-title version of Błachowicz could still make elite contenders fight honest rounds, but not always bank enough of them to win cleanly on the cards.

Key moments

  • Lost a unanimous decision to Ulberg after three rounds in London.
  • The defeat was Błachowicz's first fight since the July 2023 split decision loss to Alex Pereira.
  • It set up the later majority draw with Bogdan Guskov.
LossRecord after fight: 29-10-1DEC
Opponent: Alex Pereira, their record after the fight: 8-2-0SplitR3 5:00
UFC 291
29 Jul 2023

The Pereira fight was a close three-round loss that kept Błachowicz near the very top of the division even in defeat.

Key moments

  • Dropped a split decision to Pereira over fifteen minutes at UFC 291.
  • The bout followed the split draw with Magomed Ankalaev for the vacant title.
  • It was Błachowicz's only fight between the Ankalaev draw and the Carlos Ulberg loss.
DrawRecord after fight: 29-9-1DRAW
Opponent: Magomed Ankalaev, their record after the fight: 17-1-1SplitR5 5:00
UFC 282
10 Dec 2022

Błachowicz fought Ankalaev for the vacant championship and left with a split draw instead of a clear answer.

Key moments

  • Fought Ankalaev to a split draw over five rounds for the vacant UFC light-heavyweight title.
  • The draw came after Błachowicz had stopped Aleksandar Rakić earlier in 2022.
  • It led directly into the high-stakes July 2023 matchup with Alex Pereira.
WinRecord after fight: 29-9-0TKO
Opponent: Aleksandar Rakić, their record after the fight: 14-3-0Knee InjuryR3 1:11
UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić
14 May 2022

Błachowicz's first post-title win came when the Rakic fight ended with a third-round knee injury stoppage. The result mattered because it kept him in the belt conversation immediately after the Glover Teixeira loss, even if the finish itself was more abrupt than definitive.

Key moments

  • Beat Rakić by third-round TKO after a knee injury at 1:11.
  • The win followed the October 2021 loss of the UFC title to Glover Teixeira.
  • It put Błachowicz into the December 2022 vacant-title fight with Magomed Ankalaev.
LossRecord after fight: 28-9-0SUB
Opponent: Glover TeixeiraRear-Naked ChokeR2 3:02
UFC 267
30 Oct 2021
WinRecord after fight: 28-8-0DEC
Opponent: Israel Adesanya, their record after the fight: 20-1-0UnanimousR5 5:00
UFC 259
6 Mar 2021
WinRecord after fight: 27-8-0TKO
Opponent: Dominick Reyes, their record after the fight: 12-2-0PunchesR2 4:36
UFC 253
27 Sep 2020

Błachowicz won the vacant UFC light-heavyweight title by stopping Dominick Reyes late in the second round at UFC 253.

Key moments

  • Stopped Reyes by TKO at 4:36 of round two.
  • Won the vacant UFC light-heavyweight championship.
  • The victory set up his first title defense against Israel Adesanya.
WinRecord after fight: 26-8-0KO
Opponent: Corey AndersonPunchR1 3:08
UFC Fight Night: Anderson vs. Błachowicz 2
15 Feb 2020
WinRecord after fight: 25-8-0DEC
Opponent: Ronaldo SouzaSplitR5 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré
16 Nov 2019

Błachowicz won a five-round split decision over Jacaré in a stylistically awkward headliner that still did its job for him in the standings.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Souza by split decision after five rounds in Sao Paulo.
  • It was his second straight win after knocking out Luke Rockhold.
  • The victory set up the rematch with Corey Anderson three months later.
WinRecord after fight: 24-8-0KO
Opponent: Luke RockholdPunchesR2 1:39
UFC 239
6 Jul 2019
LossRecord after fight: 23-8-0TKO
Opponent: Thiago SantosPunchesR3 0:39
UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos
23 Feb 2019
WinRecord after fight: 23-7-0SUB
Opponent: Nikita Krylov, their record after the fight: 25-6-0Arm-Triangle ChokeR2 2:41
UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik
15 Sep 2018

Błachowicz's submission of Krylov was a strong contender-level win because it added a finisher's exclamation point to the resurgence he had started in late 2017.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz submitted Krylov with an arm-triangle choke at 2:41 of round two.
  • The victory made it four consecutive UFC wins.
  • It followed decision wins over Jimi Manuwa and Jared Cannonier.
WinRecord after fight: 22-7-0DEC
Opponent: Jimi ManuwaUnanimousR3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov
17 Mar 2018

Błachowicz's rematch win over Manuwa corrected one of the losses that had helped drag him below . 500 in the UFC.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Manuwa by unanimous decision over three rounds.
  • The win avenged Manuwa's 2015 decision over Błachowicz.
  • It was Błachowicz's third straight UFC victory.
WinRecord after fight: 21-7-0DEC
Opponent: Jared Cannonier, their record after the fight: 10-3-0UnanimousR3 5:00
UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos
16 Dec 2017

The result mattered because it moved him further away from the rough 2-5 start to his UFC tenure.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Cannonier by unanimous decision after three rounds.
  • The victory came less than two months after submitting Devin Clark.
  • It gave Błachowicz consecutive UFC wins for the first time since 2014.
WinRecord after fight: 20-7-0SUB
Opponent: Devin ClarkRear-Naked ChokeR2 3:02
UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Till
21 Oct 2017
LossRecord after fight: 19-7-0DEC
Opponent: Patrick CumminsMajorityR3 5:00
UFC 210
8 Apr 2017
LossRecord after fight: 19-6-0DEC
Opponent: Alexander GustafssonUnanimousR3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett
3 Sep 2016

Błachowicz's Stockholm trip brought a clear decision loss to former title challenger Gustafsson, but it also showed the level of company he was keeping even during a losing stretch. The result mattered because it came right after he had steadied himself with the Pokrajac win.

Key moments

  • Gustafsson beat Błachowicz by unanimous decision over three rounds.
  • The fight followed Błachowicz's April 2016 decision win over Igor Pokrajac.
  • It was Błachowicz's fourth loss in six UFC appearances.
WinRecord after fight: 19-5-0DEC
Opponent: Igor PokrajacUnanimousR3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos
10 Apr 2016
LossRecord after fight: 18-5-0DEC
Opponent: Corey AndersonUnanimousR3 5:00
UFC 191
5 Sep 2015

Anderson outworked Błachowicz over three rounds, handing him a second straight UFC loss after the Manuwa defeat.

Key moments

  • Anderson beat Błachowicz by unanimous decision over three rounds.
  • The defeat followed the April 2015 decision loss to Jimi Manuwa.
  • Błachowicz would avenge the result with a first-round knockout in 2020.
LossRecord after fight: 18-4-0DEC
Opponent: Jimi ManuwaUnanimousR3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2
11 Apr 2015

Manuwa handed Błachowicz his first UFC loss and the first setback after the strong debut win over Latifi. The result mattered because it slowed the transition from KSW champion to UFC contender and began a rough patch in the promotion.

Key moments

  • Manuwa beat Błachowicz by unanimous decision after three rounds.
  • It was Błachowicz's first loss inside the UFC.
  • The defeat came six months after his debut TKO of Ilir Latifi.
WinRecord after fight: 18-3-0TKO
Opponent: Ilir LatifiBody Kick and PunchesR1 1:58
UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story
4 Oct 2014
WinRecord after fight: 17-3-0DEC
Opponent: Goran ReljićUnanimousR3 5:00
KSW 22
16 Mar 2013
WinRecord after fight: 16-3-0DEC
Opponent: Houston AlexanderUnanimousR3 5:00
KSW 20
15 Sep 2012

Błachowicz kept the KSW belt with a three-round decision over UFC veteran Houston Alexander.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Alexander by unanimous decision over three rounds.
  • The fight served as another successful KSW title defense.
  • It followed the February 2012 decision win over Mario Miranda.
WinRecord after fight: 15-3-0DEC
Opponent: Mario MirandaUnanimousR3 5:00
KSW 18
25 Feb 2012

The result mattered because it showed that the rematch win over Sokoudjou had turned into a stable title reign rather than a one-night correction.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Miranda by unanimous decision over three rounds.
  • It was one of the early defenses in his second KSW title reign.
  • The win followed the November 2011 decision over Sokoudjou.
WinRecord after fight: 14-3-0DEC
Opponent: Rameau Thierry SokoudjouUnanimousR3 5:00
KSW 17
26 Nov 2011
WinRecord after fight: 13-3-0SUB
Opponent: Toni ValtonenRear-Naked ChokeR2 1:23
KSW 16
21 May 2011

Błachowicz responded well to the Sokoudjou setback by submitting Valtonen in the second round.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz submitted Valtonen with a rear-naked choke at 1:23 of round two.
  • The win came two months after the loss to Sokoudjou.
  • It put Błachowicz back on track for the November rematch.
LossRecord after fight: 12-3-0TKO
Opponent: Rameau Thierry SokoudjouRetirementR2 5:00
KSW 15
19 Mar 2011
WinRecord after fight: 12-2-0TKO
Opponent: Daniel TaberaPunchesR2 4:20
KSW 14
24 Sep 2010
WinRecord after fight: 11-2-0SUB
Opponent: Nikolai OnikienkoRear-Naked ChokeR2 2:32
Modern Fighting Pankration: Volga Cup 2010
24 Jun 2010
WinRecord after fight: 10-2-0SUB
Opponent: Wojciech OrłowskiRear-Naked ChokeR1 1:37
KSW 13
7 May 2010

Błachowicz needed two wins on the same night at KSW 13, and the Orłowski submission moved him from the semifinal to the final.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz submitted Orłowski with a rear-naked choke at 1:37 of round one.
  • It was his second victory on the KSW 13 card.
  • The win advanced him deeper into the tournament he would finish at KSW 14.
WinRecord after fight: 9-2-0KO
Opponent: Julio BrutusHead Kick and PunchR1 3:40
KSW 13
7 May 2010

Błachowicz opened his KSW 13 tournament night with a first-round knockout of Julio Brutus. The head-kick-and-punch finish mattered because it put him straight into the same-night sequence that continued with the Wojciech Orłowski submission.

Key moments

  • Knocked out Brutus at 3:40 of round one.
  • The win was Błachowicz's first fight on the KSW 13 card.
  • He followed it later that night with a submission of Wojciech Orłowski.
WinRecord after fight: 8-2-0SUB
Opponent: Maro PerakRear-Naked ChokeR2 1:51
KSW 10
12 Dec 2008

Submitting Perak in the second round gave Błachowicz a meaningful bounce-back after the Andre Fyeet loss in 2007.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz submitted Perak with a rear-naked choke at 1:51 of round two.
  • The win followed the November 2007 submission loss to Andre Fyeet.
  • It was Błachowicz's fifth recorded professional victory.
WinRecord after fight: 7-2-0SUB
Opponent: Christian M'PumbuArmbarR2 3:12
KSW Extra
13 Sep 2008

Błachowicz's armbar over M'Pumbu aged well because it came against a fighter who later won a major-belt title in Bellator.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz submitted M'Pumbu with an armbar at 3:12 of round two.
  • The bout followed Błachowicz's three wins on the KSW 9 card.
  • It was his fourth straight victory in 2008.
WinRecord after fight: 6-2-0SUB
Opponent: Aziz KaraogluArmbarR1 4:13
KSW 9
9 May 2008
WinRecord after fight: 5-2-0SUB
Opponent: Antoni ChmielewskiArmbarR2 2:54
KSW 9
9 May 2008
WinRecord after fight: 4-2-0DEC
Opponent: Martin ZawadaUnanimousR2 5:00
KSW 9
9 May 2008

The KSW 9 night began with Błachowicz outpointing Zawada over two rounds before the faster finishes later in the bracket.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz beat Zawada by unanimous decision after two rounds.
  • It was the first of three victories he recorded at KSW 9.
  • The win set up later same-night bouts with Aziz Karaoglu and Antoni Chmielewski.
LossRecord after fight: 3-2-0SUB
Opponent: Andre FyeetKimuraR1 1:57
KSW 8
10 Nov 2007
WinRecord after fight: 3-1-0TKO
Opponent: Daniel DowdaKnee and PunchesR1 1:35
KSW Elimination
15 Sep 2007

Dowda was one of two same-night stoppage wins Błachowicz scored at the KSW Elimination event in September 2007. The result mattered because it helped establish him quickly after the pro debut loss earlier that year.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz stopped Dowda by TKO at 1:35 of the first round.
  • It was one of three wins he recorded on the KSW Elimination card.
  • The finish followed the opening decision over Sebastian Olchawa.
WinRecord after fight: 2-1-0TKO
Opponent: Pawel GasinskiPunchesR1 2:36
KSW Elimination
15 Sep 2007

The result mattered because it turned his start as a pro from shaky to promising in one busy evening.

Key moments

  • Błachowicz stopped Gasinski by TKO at 2:36 of round one.
  • It was Błachowicz's second finish of the KSW Elimination event.
  • The win came on the same night as victories over Sebastian Olchawa and Daniel Dowda.
WinRecord after fight: 1-1-0DEC
Opponent: Sebastian OlchawaUnanimousR2 5:00
KSW Elimination
15 Sep 2007
LossRecord after fight: 0-1-0DEC
Opponent: Marcin KrysztofiakUnanimousR2 5:00
Full Contact Prestige 3
25 Feb 2007

The Read

Style, strengths, and defining traits.

Jan Blachowicz won an amateur Muay Thai world championship in Korea in 2008. His credentials also include a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and the UFC and KSW light heavyweight titles.

Signature Fights

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