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Jan Blachowicz continues to slide further down the light heavyweight ladder, and he has reacted to his latest setback.
Blachowicz entered Belgrade Arena this past Saturday in hopes of securing his first win since 2022. Things didn’t pan out for the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Instead, Blachowicz was brutally stopped by the unbeaten Navajo Stirling in the first round via TKO.
Blachowicz hadn’t suffered a TKO loss since 2019, and he hopped on social media to keep his response brief.
“It is what it is,” Blachowicz wrote. “Another one for the collection.”
The 43-year-old has now gone 0-3-2 in his last five outings. It has been a far cry from the days when the Polish bruiser reigned as the UFC titleholder at 205 pounds. Blachowicz even scored a marquee win over Israel Adesanya in his only successful title defense. He ended up losing the gold to Glover Teixeira.
Blachowicz’s last victory was against Aleksandar Rakic, who couldn’t continue due to a knee injury. Draws against Magomed Ankalaev and Bodgan Guskov along with losses to Alex Pereira, Carlos Ulberg, and Stirling have left many wondering just how much Blachowicz has left at this point.
When the UFC Meta rankings are updated, Blachowicz might find himself out of the top 15. He held the No. 13 spot prior to the UFC Belgrade loss.
Meanwhile for Stirling, this is easily the most notable win of his young pro MMA career. The Contender Series alum figures to be on the fast track to facing top competition at light heavyweight. Many have argued that the 205-pound division needs a spark, and the City Kickboxing standout might deliver the goods if he continues to perform as he did this past Saturday.
Is it time for Jan Blachowicz to consider walking away from pro MMA competition, or do you think the former UFC champion has some more fight left? Share your opinion in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
