UFC Fight Night 283 did not mark the resurgence of former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Instead, it marked the continuance of his late-career slide.
Blachowicz (29-12-2 MMA, 12-9-2 UFC) saw his winless skid hit five fightsSaturday when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Navajo Stirling (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in their co-main event showdown at Belgrade Arena in Serbia.
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The Polish fighter looked competitive in some early exchanges, but then Stirling landed a clean one that hurt Blachowicz bad. The Kiwi pounced and got the stoppage, leaving Blachowicz in a difficult spot.
Blachowicz issued a statement about the result Sunday, simply chalking it up to “it is what it is” and giving some close-up photos of his face before and after being stitched up (via Instagram):
With no wins on his record since May 2022, Blachowicz faces some tough questions about his future. He’s among the oldest fighters on the UFC roster at 43, and the result marks the first time he’s been finished by strikes since February 2019 against Thiago Santos.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jan Blachowicz reacts to UFC Belgrade loss: ‘It is what it is’
