Opportunity only comes knocking so many times during a fighter’s career.
And in Jan Blachowicz’s case, when that opportunity arrived, he sidestepped the door and burst through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man.
The Polish powerhouse altered the equation at 205 pounds with his vicious first-round knockout of Corey Anderson in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN+ 25 in Rio Rancho, N.M.
He did so with champion Jon Jones, who expressed his approval, seated cageside.
And just like that, the conventional wisdom that a rematch between Jons and Blachowicz was an obvious choice got muddied in a hurry.
So what does this mean for Blachowicz, who has now won seven of his past eight? It means he vaults up to No. 6 in the light heavyweight division in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.
UFC Rio Rancho was filled with all sorts of important results. So to find out where your favorite — or least favorite — competitor places this week, scroll up to the top of the page and select a division from the drop-down menu.
