UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is plotting an emphatic victory over the promotion’s middleweight titleholder, Israel Adesanya.
Blachowicz is expected to defend his belt against Adesanya sometime in the new year. While the fight doesn’t yet have a date or a setting, the light heavyweight champion has named March as his preferred timeframe for the fight.
“[The UFC] asked me [about fighting Adesanya] after my fight in Abu Dhabi [at UFC 253], the next day,” Blachowicz told ESPN recently. “I say it’s no problem for me but not now. In March I can fight anybody, it’s no problem for me. But I can not fight any earlier than March. This is one problem for my opponent. If Israel wants to wait no problem, if not he needs to fight a different challenge.”
Adesanya previously flirted with the idea of a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Some fans view that as the tougher light heavyweight matchup for the middleweight champ, but Blachowicz begs to differ.
“If he thinks like this he’s wrong,” Blachowicz said. “Why does Jon Jones not want to fight at 205 anymore? He’s afraid of me. That’s why he moved to heavyweight. This is the reason. So this is not going to be an easier fight for Adesanya. It’s going to be a harder fight.”
The opening betting odds for this anticipated light heavyweight title super fight have already been released, and Blachowicz has been identified as a significant underdog. He feels the oddsmaker’s apparent faith in an Adesanya win is unwarranted.
“If he thinks like this he is wrong, but I don’t care what he thinks. If they make this fight I will prove him wrong. He will go back to (middleweight) very fast,” Blachowicz continued. “It’s going to be amazing because when I beat him he’s going to remember me for the rest of his life. I am going to be the first one to beat him in MMA.
“He’s going to feel my Polish Power like everybody.”
Do you think Jan Blachowicz will successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight title against Israel Adesanya?