LAS VEGAS – Light heavyweight contender Jan Blachowicz is looking to bounce back into the win column by handing former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold a debut loss at 205 pounds.
Former KSW champion Blachowicz (23-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) lost out to Thiago Santos in Prague last time out and revealed that the pair have been sparring together during their final preparations ahead of their respective bouts at UFC 239. The Polish fighter even joked that he took one big technical lesson out of his stoppage defeat to the Brazilian in February.
“Thiago taught me that I have to put my hands higher,” Blachowicz told MMA Junkie at UFC 239 media day. “That was a good lesson for me, and now I’m just a better fighter.”
Blachowicz says he’s put that defeat firmly behind him as he gets set to welcome Rockhold (16-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to the light heavyweight division.
“I’ve got a new opponent, a new story, so I don’t think about (the Santos defeat),” Blachowicz said. “In the future, I’m going to be there in the main event, fighting for the title. Right now, only Rockhold is in my head, that’s it.”
Rockhold exuded confidence during his chat with MMA Junkie earlier in the day, and Blachowicz acknowledged the American’s skills. But he insisted that he held the edge in all departments and will showcase that superiority on fight night.
“He’s a good fighter, you know? Southpaw, good left kick, good jiu-jitsu, good wrestling,” he said. “But I’m better. Better everywhere, stand-up, jiu-jitsu also, so I’m prepared for him and for everything that he’s got for me.”
And the 36-year-old from Poznan said he wouldn’t just defeat Rockhold, he would get the job done inside the distance.
“We will see on Saturday,” Blachowicz said. “I’ve got a plan for him, and I think that in the second round he will go down after a left (hand).”
For more on UFC 239, check out the UFC Schedule.
