Luke Rockhold’s predictions of light heavyweight dominance were ended violently by Jan Blachowicz.
Blachowicz (24-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) dropped Rockhold (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the first round before finishing him off with a brutal left hook at the 1:39 mark of the second round.
The light heavyweight bout was part of the main card of Saturday’s UFC 239 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Referee Herb Dean’s stoppage was the second time he’d stepped in to save Rockhold, who was stunned by a head kick at the end of the first round. Rockhold, the former UFC middleweight champion who was making his light heavyweight debut, appeared unprepared for Blachowicz’s strength in the clinch and speed at distance, taking several hard kicks that prompted him to seek better luck inside.
Rockhold had driven Blachowicz to the fence early in the second, trying to neutralize his opponent’s power in close. He wound up getting muscled out of position and was completely open when Blachowicz landed the punch that sent him crashing to the canvas. Follow-up punches bounced his head off the canvas.
In a matchup preceded by much trash talk from Rockhold, Blachowicz stayed on point in exchanges. Rockhold sought a highlight-reel head kick, his hands low, while Blachowicz chipped away at his opponent with low kicks.
When Rockhold couldn’t secure a choke in an early transition, Blachowicz framed off his chin and landed with an elbow, a technique he’d repeat before opening up with his fists.
Blachowicz is back in the win column after being on the wrong end of a stoppage loss, a TKO stoppage against title challenger Thiago Santos. Rockhold suffers his second straight knockout after a third-round finish at the hands of Yoel Romero. Three of Rockhold’s four most recent fights have ended in a knockout loss.
- Jan Blachowicz def. Luke Rockhold via KO (punch) – Round 2, 1:39
- Michael Chiesa def. Diego Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Arnold Allen def. Gilbert Melendez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marlon Vera def. Nohelin Hernandez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:25
- Claudia Gadelha def. Randa Markos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Song Yadong def. Alejandro Perez via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:04
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Jack Marshman via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:12
- Chance Rencountre def. Ismail Naurdiev via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Julia Avila def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
For complete coverage of UFC 239, check out the UFC results.
