Outlook: The underdog got it done again. Jan Blachowicz did what no man has done in mixed martial arts: he defeated Israel Adesanya. Moreover, he did it in rather comfortable fashion. While the fight was competitive, the scorecards indicated a relatively clear win for the Poland native, so there is not another “champ champ” in the UFC for the time being. Blachowicz showed his whole game in the fight – quality Fight IQ, grappling and, of course, a little bit of that “legendary Polish power.” He turned his eyes rather quickly to the deserving Glover Teixeira for his next title defense. Beyond that, Aleksandar Rakic continues to climb the rankings and is on the edge of a title shot, and the impending fight between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka figures to play a big factor in the picture, as well.
For Adesanya, he took his first professional loss with the grace you’d hope to see from the previously undefeated superstar, and it appears that he’ll return his focus to defending his 185-pound throne. A clear-cut challenger hasn’t quite shown himself yet, although some would argue Robert Whittaker, having thwarted two would-be contenders in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier, has earned a rematch. A scheduled bout with Paulo Costa gives the Aussie a chance to make that picture even clearer, and until then, all “The Last Stylebender” needs to do is wait and see.
