5 Things You Might Not Know About Jan Blachowicz

OHHHH MY!!!

What a finish by @JanBlachowicz!!! Unreal!! #UFCGdansk pic.twitter.com/UwyMvXr8R2

— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2017

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Jan Blachowicz (23-7) is a Polish mixed martial artist who plies his trade in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division. In his next outing, the 35-year-old will look to extend his four-bout winning streak when he headlines UFC Fight Night 145 opposite Thiago Santos. The event takes place at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 23.

As we approach the pivotal clash, here are five things that you might not know about Blachowicz.

He has overcome adversity.

Back in 2009, Blachowicz accepted an invitation from his friend Tomasz Drwal to train stateside at the Throwdown Training Center in San Diego, California. In one training session, Blachowicz damaged his knee while shooting for a takedown. The young Polish prospect had damaged his ACL, which was a potential career-ending injury. After returning to Poland, Blachowicz had surgery followed by a lengthy rehabilitation process. In 2010, he made a successful return to the cage, winning four fights in a row. “After the injury, I was extremely angry because it eliminated me for some time,” he explained. “But it has never crossed my mind to [retire].”

He has been a champion before.

Prior to being signed by the UFC in 2014, Blachowicz competed for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, his country’s leading MMA promotion. During his lengthy stint with KSW, Blachowicz fought 18 bouts, losing only two. On three separate occasions, he won their 205-pound tournament.

He likes training close to home.

Considering the serious injury Blachowicz suffered stateside, it’s not surprising that he spends the majority of his time honing his skills in his homeland. There the 35-year-old represents Berkut WCA Fight Team in the nation’s capital of Warsaw. Although he makes occasional forays to the States to train at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Blachowicz has no plans to leave Berkut. He has previously said that the training he receives there is of the highest order. His teammates include mixed martial arts stalwarts such as Bartosz Fabinski, Damian Janikowski and Daniel Omielanczuk.

He once won three consecutive fights by armbar.

The “Prince of Cieszyn” is a long-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a reputation as a dangerous grappler. Nine (39 percent) of his career victories have come by submission. The Polish fighter is particularly adept at the rear-naked choke. His resume boasts five (56 percent) finishes by this method. However, this is not the only submission in his arsenal. Back in 2008, Blachowicz, then competing for KSW, won three fights in a row by armbar. Although he has notched six submission wins since then, none of them have been by armbar.

He trained in numerous disciplines before turning to MMA.

Like many of his peers, Blachowicz was interested in combat training from a young age. It was films that inspired him to take up martial arts as “Bloodsport” and “Enter the Dragon” made him start training. Initially, he trained in Judo before later branching out to jiu-jitsu, boxing and muay Thai. Prior to turning to MMA fulltime, the burgeoning martial artist achieved considerable success competing in a number of disciplines. His accolades include an amateur muay thai world title and compiling an unblemished record kickboxing record that includes 34 victories.