Jan Błachowicz vs Jacare Souza

Age 43

Height 6' 2"

Reach 78"

Weight 205 lbs.

Stance Orthodox

UFC SD

Age N/A

Height N/A

Reach N/A

Weight N/A

Stance N/A

UFC SD

Career Averages - Jan Błachowicz

3.55 SLpM

50.0% Str. Acc.

3.14 SApM

52.0% Str. Def.

0.98 TD Avg

48.0% TD Acc.

69.0% TD Def.

0.4 Sub. Avg

Career Averages - Jacare Souza

No career stats available

Jan Błachowicz - Fight History

SCHED vs Navajo Stirling

UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez · Aug 01, 2026

CANCEL vs Bogdan Guskov

UFC Fight Night: Medic vs. Rodriguez · Aug 01, 2026

Draw vs Bogdan Guskov

Draw R3 5:00 · UFC 323 · Dec 06, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jan Błachowicz	1	84 of 149	56%	100 of 173	0 of 0	---	1	0	0:08
Bogdan Guskov	1	80 of 140	57%	98 of 160	0 of 0	---	0	0	4:09

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Jan Błachowicz	0	25 of 52	48%	25 of 52	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
1	Bogdan Guskov	0	21 of 44	47%	21 of 44	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Jan Błachowicz	0	11 of 13	84%	25 of 35	0 of 0	---	1	0:00
2	Bogdan Guskov	1	32 of 51	62%	50 of 71	0 of 0	---	0	4:09
3	Jan Błachowicz	1	48 of 84	57%	50 of 86	0 of 0	---	0	0:08
3	Bogdan Guskov	0	27 of 45	60%	27 of 45	0 of 0	---	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jan Błachowicz	84 of 149	56%	56 of 112	11 of 17	17 of 20	74 of 135	2 of 3	8 of 11
Bogdan Guskov	80 of 140	57%	69 of 127	2 of 3	9 of 10	52 of 96	0 of 0	28 of 44

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jan Błachowicz	25 of 52	48%	13 of 35	3 of 6	9 of 11	25 of 52	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Bogdan Guskov	21 of 44	47%	10 of 32	2 of 3	9 of 9	21 of 44	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	11 of 13	84%	7 of 9	1 of 1	3 of 3	11 of 13	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Bogdan Guskov	32 of 51	62%	32 of 51	0 of 0	0 of 0	4 of 7	0 of 0	28 of 44
3	Jan Błachowicz	48 of 84	57%	36 of 68	7 of 10	5 of 6	38 of 70	2 of 3	8 of 11
3	Bogdan Guskov	27 of 45	60%	27 of 44	0 of 0	0 of 1	27 of 45	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Blachowicz (-135), Guskov (+114)

Round 1
Jason Herzog is the referee. Both men opening cautiously. Balchowicz is working leg kicks early, but Guskov is answering in kind. Guskov sticks a jab then avoids his opponent’s response. Guskov looks hesitant to engage, respecting Blachowicz’s power. The Pole continues to chip away with periodic low kicks. Blachowicz misses a double jab and Guskov briefly rattles him with a counter offering. A heavy jab from Blachowicz connects. They trade leg kicks. Another low kick from the Pole lands. Guskov responds with an inside leg kick. For the majority of the round, it’s been jabs and leg kicks from both men. Balchowicz pressures and lands a two-punch combination, then goes back to the leg kick. Guskov flurries with a combination late in the period. Balchowicz kicks the body before time expires in a slow-paced frame.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 2
Blachowicz comes out pumping his jab before going back to the low kick. Guskov misses a high kick. Another jab-low kick combination lands for Blachowicz, but that’s when Guskov drops him as the Pole is moving backwards. Guskov dives into top position, where he tees off with ground-and-pound. Blachowicz seems to have recovered, as he attempts a heel hook. Blachowicz eats some more ground-and-pound as a trade-off for the leg lock. Guskov frees himself and looks to punish his foe from above. Guskov grinds his forearm into Blachowicz’s face and then drops some heavy elbows. Blachowicz is covering up, but he’s been split open by the onslaught. A methodical Guskov drops more elbows as he moves into half guard. Another elbow draws a visible grimace from the Pole. Blachowicz is just trying to survive the round by holding Guskov close to him. Another series of elbows land for Guskov as the round draws to a close. Blachowicz will survive, but it was one-way traffic.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Guskov
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Guskov
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Guskov

Round 3
The combatants hug at the start of the round. Guskov lands a right hand. Blachowicz targets the legs again, but a quick right hand connects for Guskov in response. Guskov’s left calf is reddened from Blachowicz’s attacks throughout the fight. Blachowicz leaps in and partially lands a left hook. Guskov tags Blachowicz with a couple laser rights, and he’s taking advantage of his speed. Blachowicz plods forward and lands a jab. Another heavy leg kick for the former champ. Another hard right connects for Guskov. Blachowicz is increasing his aggression and he lands some heavy hooks in close. Blachowicz goes back to the leg kick. Guskov seems to have slowed down somewhat in this round. He counters Blachowicz well nonetheless in an exchange. Blachowicz kicks the body. Blachowicz keeps the pressure on and just misses a heavy right hand .The Pole sticks a crisp jab. Guskov’s output is waning down the stretch. Blachowicz lunges in and lands a left hook. Blachowicz is in pursuit and he manages to drop Guskov near the fence in the waning seconds. Guskov gets to his feet and Blachowicz continues to unload until the horn. A great sense of urgency down the stretch from Blachowicz.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (28-28)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (29-28 Blachowicz)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (29-28 Blachowicz)

The Official Result
Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov is Declared a Majority Draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28) R3 5:00

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Nov 30, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Angelo picks Jan Błachowicz, noting his experience, Polish power, and solid wrestling. He argues that Jan's recent losses are to elite competition and that he arguably won some of them. He compares the two as similar fighters but gives Jan the edge due to his chin holding up at 42. However, he advises against betting on Jan at -145 due to the risk of Guskov's power.

advises against betting

"I'm going to pick Yan. But to bet on him at minus 145, at 42 years old... would be a poor financial decision."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Hesitant picked Nov 26, 2025 (10 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Big Brady picks Jan Błachowicz despite his age (42), citing his superior striking, volume, durability, cardio, and grappling. He pokes holes in Guskov's wins, noting they came against lower-level opponents. He expects Błachowicz to win by decision, but acknowledges age is a concern.

Błachowicz by decision

"I'm still going with the old man. One last ride. I'm going to take Yonhovich to win this fight. I'll say he wins it by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 3, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Cody picks Jan, trusting his chin and experience. He notes that Jan has fought and nearly beaten top competition like Pereira and Ulberg. He believes Jan's wrestling and submission threat will be factors, and he likes Jan by submission at plus 765. He thinks Guskov's wins are over lower-level opponents.

Jan by submission +765

"I'm going to lean on the old warhorse um minus 130 Yonhovich for that chin to hold up and him just to kind of you know show goosebump that even though he's old there's still levels to this."

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Dec 4, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Connor picks Błachowicz, citing his low kicks and jab as effective tools against Guskov's boxing-heavy style. He notes that Guskov was submitted by Volkan Oezdemir, indicating a vulnerability to wrestling, and Błachowicz has strong top control and submissions. Connor acknowledges that Błachowicz has lost speed and the 'Błachowicz blitz,' but believes his range tools and wrestling will be enough. He doesn't want to watch it but wants Jan to win.

Odds: Błachowicz opened -150, now -130; Guskov opened +130, now +110.

"I think you have to pick old Polish power to do it again. I think you do. I don't want to see it, but I want it to happen."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Vreeland Expert Hesitant picked Nov 27, 2025 (9 days before fight)

Bogdan Guskov

Daniel picks Guskov as a dog, acknowledging Jan's technical edge but fearing Jan's age (42) and recent decline. He thinks Guskov's brawling style and power could catch Jan, who may be nearing a drop-off. He notes Jan's calf kicks and takedowns as threats but believes Guskov's youth and momentum make him a live underdog.

"Give me Bogdan and Guskov to come out here as an underdog, get this upset and knock out the man with the legendary Polish power."

Half the Battle

Lucrative James Expert Confident picked Nov 29, 2025 (7 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Lucrative James argues that Jan Błachowicz is superior in every facet of MMA—striking, grappling, cardio, and fight IQ. He notes Jan's recent close fights against top competition (Alex Pereira, Carlos Ulberg) and his high-altitude training camp. He believes Guskov's only path to victory is an early knockout, but Jan's durability and experience should carry him to a decision win.

"I have to pick Yan in this one."

Lucrative MMA

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Dec 5, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

The host acknowledges Guskov's rise but believes he will struggle against the more experienced Błachowicz. Despite Błachowicz's age and recent struggles, the host expects him to mix up his game, land takedowns, and possibly secure a submission.

submission

"I think he should be able to mix this game up well enough eventually land some takedowns and I think he might even be able to pull off a submission."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Dec 3, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Paul agrees, highlighting Jan's durability and high-level experience. He notes that Jan has gone the distance with champions and has a well-rounded game. He believes Guskov's competition is weak and that Jan will outwork him. He also mentions Jan's submission ability.

"Jan is something special, man. He just knows how to keep in."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 3, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

The Guru picks Jan Błachowicz over Bogdan Guskov, citing Błachowicz's experience and technical edge. He notes Błachowicz nearly beat Alex Pereira and has faced top competition. The Guru predicts a clear decision or late TKO.

"I'm going to go with Yamblohovic getting this one done over Bognam. Decision whim clearcut 3027 or 29-28."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Dec 4, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Zane also picks Błachowicz, emphasizing that Guskov's wins have come against a weak run of fighters and that Krylov's chin is gone. He notes that Błachowicz hasn't been finished and has the wrestling to exploit Guskov's takedown defense. Zane believes Guskov's wild boxing style leaves him open to low kicks and takedowns, and Błachowicz's experience and strength will carry him to a decision or submission.

Same odds commentary as Connor.

"We're taking Jan. In part also just because he still hasn't been getting finished at all."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Carlos Ulberg

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady · Mar 22, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jan Błachowicz	0	59 of 131	45%	59 of 131	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:00
Carlos Ulberg	0	75 of 157	47%	75 of 157	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:08

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Jan Błachowicz	18 of 31	58%	18 of 31	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Carlos Ulberg	15 of 32	46%	15 of 32	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Jan Błachowicz	16 of 33	48%	16 of 33	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Carlos Ulberg	29 of 60	48%	29 of 60	0 of 0	---	0:02
3	Jan Błachowicz	25 of 67	37%	25 of 67	0 of 1	0%	0:00
3	Carlos Ulberg	31 of 65	47%	31 of 65	0 of 1	0%	0:06

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jan Błachowicz	59 of 131	45%	17 of 67	10 of 26	32 of 38	59 of 131	0 of 0	0 of 0
Carlos Ulberg	75 of 157	47%	19 of 87	6 of 15	50 of 55	74 of 156	1 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jan Błachowicz	18 of 31	58%	3 of 11	1 of 4	14 of 16	18 of 31	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Carlos Ulberg	15 of 32	46%	2 of 16	1 of 4	12 of 12	15 of 32	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	16 of 33	48%	6 of 16	2 of 8	8 of 9	16 of 33	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Carlos Ulberg	29 of 60	48%	6 of 30	3 of 7	20 of 23	28 of 59	1 of 1	0 of 0
3	Jan Błachowicz	25 of 67	37%	8 of 40	7 of 14	10 of 13	25 of 67	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Carlos Ulberg	31 of 65	47%	11 of 41	2 of 4	18 of 20	31 of 65	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ulberg (-265), Blachowicz (+215)

Round 1
Marc Goddard will officiate this light heavyweight showdown. Ulberg lands a low kick and a jab as he circles on the outside. Blachowicz lands a leg kick of his own, but Ulberg snaps off a jab. It’s an extended feeling-out process so far. Ulberg with a leg kick followed by a lead left hand. Blachowicz connects with a heavy leg kick. Ulberg lands a front kick down the middle. A low kick from the Pole has an impact on Ulberg. Blachowicz partially lands a high kick. The ex champ continues to chop away at Ulberg’s legs. Blachowicz moves in with a jab and Ulberg circles out. Ulberg is also staying busy with low kicks. Blachowicz’s appear to have more impact. Ulberg sticks a jab just before the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 2
Blachowicz goes right back to work with the low kicks. Ulberg steps in with a punching combination. Ulberg lands a kick to the body and a low kick, then ducks under a power punch from his Polish opponent. Ulberg with a jab and Blachowicz punches the body. Ulberg with more leg kicks. Blachowicz pressures with a couple of power shots, but Ulberg counters effectively and the Pole stumbles away. They trade again and both land. The action is picking up, and Ulberg lands a knee. More low kicks by Ulberg. Blachowicz responds with a heavy outside leg kick. Ulberg lands a lead hook. Ulberg stays busy chipping away at the legs. Blachowicz with another low kick. A solid jab lands for the Pole. Ulberg ends the round probing at the legs.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ulberg
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ulberg

Round 3
Both men open by attacking the legs, as has been the strategy throughout. Ulberg is first to shoot and he presses his foe into the cage. Blachowicz is too strong and he shrugs it off. Ulberg lands a jab and just misses the mark on a straight right. Another leg kick for Blachowicz. Ulberg answers with a pair of inside low kicks. Blachowicz with a knee and a jab, and Ulberg fires back. Blachowicz charges forward but can’t connect. Blachowicz backs his man up with a jab. But Ulberg returns fire and lands a jab. He follows up with a right hand. Ulberg lands a counter left hook and Blachowicz answers with a body kick. Neither man has been able to separate himself in this fight. Ulberg finds the range on a jab. The Kiwi works the inside and outside of his foe’s leg with kicks. Blachowicz applies pressure down the stretch, but Ulberg might have clipped the Pole with a counter during a final exchange.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ulberg (29-28 Ulberg)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ulberg (29-28 Blachowicz)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ulberg (29-28 Ulberg)

The Official Result
Carlos Ulberg def. Jan Blachowicz via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3 5:00

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Mar 16, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Carlos Ulberg

Angelo picks Carlos Ulberg, citing Jan Błachowicz's age (42) and lack of recent wins over light heavyweights. He notes that Jan's wins are mostly over middleweights and his last win was due to a freak injury. He acknowledges Ulberg didn't look great in his last fight but believes he will be too fast and too young. He mentions a text argument with Jacob about this fight.

"ulberg is going to be the pick and I am pretty confident in that"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Mar 18, 2025 (4 days before fight)

Carlos Ulberg

Brady thinks Blachowicz is old (42), coming off injuries and layoff, and likely not the same fighter. He predicts Ulberg wins by decision. However, he notes the line is silly and if Blachowicz looks healthy without knee sleeves, he might take a small bet on him.

Ulberg by decision

"give me olberg orberg by decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Connor Ruebusch Expert Hesitant picked Mar 20, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Connor picks Jan, sticking with the old man despite the risks. He argues Jan has been an unsolvable puzzle for most light heavyweights due to his compact defense, counter-punching, and leg kicks. He hasn't seen Jan decline yet and believes his experience and durability will carry him, though he admits the layoff and age are concerns.

Jan opened at -113, currently +244; Ulberg opened at -100, currently -275. Connor notes the odds and seems to find value in Jan as an underdog.

"I'll keep one for the old man and i'll go with below which here ... I haven't seen him be shot yet."

MMA Vivisection

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Lean picked Mar 20, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Carlos Ulberg

The host leans with Ulberg's striking advantage, noting Błachowicz is coming back from injury, a long layoff, and is 42 years old. He expects Ulberg to shut down takedowns, touch him up on the feet, and win on the scorecards.

"I have to lean with the striking advantage of Bberg. Not to mention Blhovic coming back from an injury, long layoff and being 42 now."

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Mar 19, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

The Guru confidently picks Jan Błachowicz, despite his age and surgeries, because he believes Błachowicz is a much better striker than Ulberg's previous opponents. He notes that Ulberg struggled against OSP and Devin Clark, while Błachowicz has beaten top competition. He expects Błachowicz to out-strike Ulberg, especially in a three-round fight at sea level, and sees value in Błachowicz as a nearly 3-to-1 underdog.

underdog value (nearly 3-to-1)

"I'm going to go yanovich getting this one done"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Hesitant picked Mar 20, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Carlos Ulberg

Zane picks Ulberg, citing Jan's age (42), long layoff, and shoulder injury as major concerns. He believes Ulberg's speed, jab, and improving striking can overwhelm Jan, especially in a three-round fight. However, he acknowledges Jan's durability, leg kicks, and counter-punching make him dangerous, and Ulberg's inconsistency could cost him.

Jan opened at -113, currently +244; Ulberg opened at -100, currently -275. Zane notes the line movement reflects trepidation about Jan.

"I gotta stick with my kind which is uh ... Tall and possibly handsome young men ... Carlos is better than that."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Alex Pereira

Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 · Jul 29, 2023

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Alex Pereira	0	52 of 81	64%	82 of 117	3 of 8	37%	2	0	7:32
Jan Błachowicz	0	70 of 92	76%	112 of 138	0 of 0	---	1	0	0:06

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Alex Pereira	6 of 6	100%	17 of 17	1 of 3	33%	2	4:50
1	Jan Błachowicz	2 of 3	66%	12 of 15	0 of 0	---	1	0:00
2	Alex Pereira	20 of 29	68%	32 of 43	1 of 2	50%	0	1:57
2	Jan Błachowicz	33 of 47	70%	54 of 69	0 of 0	---	0	0:06
3	Alex Pereira	26 of 46	56%	33 of 57	1 of 3	33%	0	0:45
3	Jan Błachowicz	35 of 42	83%	46 of 54	0 of 0	---	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Alex Pereira	52 of 81	64%	41 of 66	4 of 8	7 of 7	41 of 67	3 of 5	8 of 9
Jan Błachowicz	70 of 92	76%	26 of 46	23 of 24	21 of 22	62 of 83	7 of 8	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Alex Pereira	6 of 6	100%	6 of 6	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 1	0 of 0	5 of 5
1	Jan Błachowicz	2 of 3	66%	1 of 2	0 of 0	1 of 1	1 of 2	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Alex Pereira	20 of 29	68%	15 of 21	2 of 5	3 of 3	16 of 24	2 of 3	2 of 2
2	Jan Błachowicz	33 of 47	70%	13 of 25	10 of 11	10 of 11	28 of 41	4 of 5	1 of 1
3	Alex Pereira	26 of 46	56%	20 of 39	2 of 3	4 of 4	24 of 42	1 of 2	1 of 2
3	Jan Błachowicz	35 of 42	83%	12 of 19	13 of 13	10 of 10	33 of 40	2 of 2	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Blachowicz (-125), Pereira (+105)

Round 1
The year is 2023, and for the second time in the last several months, there is no light heavyweight champion in the UFC. Once the glamour division, a litany of injuries and vacated belts left the throne unclaimed. This 205-pound clash will not be for the vacant strap, as some had expected, and instead will take place across three rounds. The victor will be sitting pretty for that next available opening, and former kingpin Blachowicz (29-9-1, 12-6-1 UFC) and ex-middleweight champ Pereira (7-2, 4-1 UFC) are positively salivating at the opportunity that awaits the triumphant man tonight. Referee Marc Goddard is on high alert for the next 15 minutes or less, although it has no bad blood so he can breathe a slight sigh of relief. The hulking light heavyweights bump fists, and they swat at one another with quick punches. Blachowicz ducks down in pursuit of a single, and he lifts Pereira’s leg up but cannot hold him down. Pereira keeps his back to the wall and wraps an arm around the neck, and he cinches his other arm around and fastens the grip to make it excruciatingly tight early. The Polish fighter is not remotely concerned, and he re-adjusts himself to drop down low enough to thwart the choke. Blachowicz leans heavily on his man while he doggedly pursues a single, and he uses heel strikes to the back of Blachowicz’ thigh and calf. Blachowicz imposes his weight on his man, and he manages to drag Pereira to the mat. Blachowicz snakes his legs around the waist to get hold of the body triangle, and he is quick to set up a rear-naked choke. The grip is on the chin and not beneath it, so Blachowicz changes his hands to try to slide it in. Pereira hand-fights to stop the choke, but Blachowicz is still on his back with his body lock tight. Blachowicz tries to keep himself leaned against the fence to stop Pereira from sliding him out the back door, and he lands one single strike before looking to put his right arm around the head. The Brazilian keeps himself out of submission danger, and he lowers himself down to puts himself in a worse position than before. Blachowicz gets the choke again, and he nearly flattens Pereira out. Pereira once more protects his neck, so Blachowicz decides to smack him upside the head with any free hand. Blachowicz keeps the lock tight around the waist, even as he cannot get the choke, and he elects to ride out the round in this dominant position.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 2
The 205ers do not decide to touch gloves to engage this round, and Blachowicz is in the center of the cage immediately and he backs off to dodge a jab and check a leg kick. Blachowicz jabs the body in response, and Pereira sits down on a low kick. Blachowicz responds in kind, and Pereira gets off a solid body shot. Blachowicz intercepts the kickboxer with a short left hook, and Blachowicz flicks out several jabs. Blachowicz turns his shin to prevent a low kick from getting through, and Pereira marks the body with another straight punch. Blachowicz responds with his own body shot, and they both jab one another. Pereira sweeps the leg with a hard calf kick, and Blachowicz has to take a step to shake it out. Pereira lands another, and Blachowicz steps in with a hard left hook. Blachowicz follows it with a right hand, and Pereira is able to shake it out but overswings and opens himself up. This allows the Polish fighter to secure a double, where he plants Pereira on his back. Blachowicz stays heavy on top and opens up with a few strikes, and “Poatan” responds with a sharp elbow that gets through. Pereira tries to scoot himself to the fence in order to fight his way back to his feet, and he succeeds in getting to a knee and then standing. Pereira sneaks in short knees as Blachowicz continues to press on him, and Blachowicz gives him a stern knee to the solar plexus as he holds on. Pereira suddenly spins out quickly, and he appears the fresher fighter as he tosses out a head kick that Blachowicz barely blocks. Pereira comes at him with a body shot, and Blachowicz responds with a left over the top. Pereira stings Blachowicz with a left hook, and Blachowicz charges with a takedown that fails. Blachowicz backs off when he gets popped with a right, and the two tie up again with 40 seconds remaining. They both get in knees, and Pereira breaks off with two uppercuts and a body shot. Pereira corners his man and starts teeing off on him with short but dangerous shots, and Blachowicz leans back against the fence and is taking damage. Blachowicz responds with one left hook, and he takes a very heavy breath. Pereira lands two right hands, and Blachowicz drops down to shoot in but time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pereira
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pereira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pereira

Round 3
The body language could scarcely look more different between the two, as Blachowicz is clearly spent while Pereira is psyched up. Both fighters come together to engage in the last round, and Blachowicz lumbers forward kicking low. Blachowicz is just able to avoid a massive uppercut, and the two trade jabs. Pereira batters his foe’s lead calf, which is nastily welted. Blachowicz musters his energy with a pair of punches and a body kick, and Pereira replies with a stern calf kick to the same spot. Pereira jabs the body, and he peppers the lead wheel. Blachowicz blitzes him with a few hooks, and Pereira shrugs at him. Pereira walks down his foe instead of attacking recklessly, and he takes a solid low kick as he come forward. Pereira gives him a jab to think about, and he parries a few punches that come his way. Blachowicz tries to check a kick, and he absorbs a flush right hand to the midsection. Blachowicz huffs and puffs and still reaches his foe with a left over the top, and Pereira beats him to the punch with a few punches right back at him. Blachowicz scores a clean left hand, and he shoots in for a takedown. Pereira stands him up but gets shoved back to the wall, although he is able to stave Blachowicz off. Blachowicz scores a left on the break, and he dings Pereira with another left hand. Blachowicz snaps the head back with a jab, and he charges forward but misses with two strikes. Blachowicz sits down on a leg kick, and the shins crack together. Both men land flush with blows, and Pereira hits the harder of the two and makes Blachowicz nod at him. Blachowicz walks through a left hook and eats a jab to the body, and he races forward swinging hands. Pereira stuffs a takedown, and the Brazilian makes him pay with a few punches. With 45 seconds left in the fight, Blachowicz is able to grab Pereira’s leg and sling him to the mat. When he lands in full guard, Blachowicz sits on top and looks for any energy he has to land strikes. Stacking Pereira up with seconds to spare, Blachowicz drops down hammerfists and concludes the fight on top. This one goes the distance, and it could be an extremely close one depending on how the final round was scored.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (29-28 Blachowicz)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pereira (29-28 Pereira)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pereira (29-28 Pereira)

The Official Result
Alex Pereira def. Jan Blachowicz via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Hesitant picked Jul 23, 2023 (6 days before fight)

Alex Pereira

Angelo picks Alex Pereira but with hesitation, acknowledging that Jan's takedowns are a threat. He believes Pereira is the more technical striker with possibly more power, and that he will be fine defending takedowns or getting back up. However, he is worried about Pereira's chin after being knocked out three months ago. He is not betting on this fight but will look at props like most significant strikes.

will look at props like most significant strikes

"I do think Alex wins this fight but I'm not doing anything with that I I mean honestly this is what's gonna happen I'm here saying Alex is going to win the fight he's the much better more technical Striker …"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Jul 24, 2023 (5 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Big Brady picks Jan Błachowicz to win by second-round submission. He emphasizes Błachowicz's grappling advantage, noting he took down Israel Adesanya and controlled him. He criticizes Pereira's ground game, which looked poor against Adesanya. He hopes Błachowicz fights smart and uses wrestling, but is not 100% sure he will. If he does, it's an easy win.

second round submission

"I'm going to take lahovich to go out there hopefully fight smart get this fight down to the mat early and often and submit Alex Pereira in the second round"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Jul 26, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Cody picks Błachowicz based on the takedown threat, noting Pereira's mediocre takedown defense and Błachowicz's success against Israel Adesanya by taking him down. He believes if Błachowicz gets top control, Pereira won't get up. He mentions the over 2 takedowns prop for Błachowicz. He hasn't bet it but is confident in the pick.

over 2 takedowns for Błachowicz

"I'm leaning towards yawn who's going to be so outclassed way too slow on the feet"

Bookie Beatdown

Lucrative James Expert Hesitant picked Jul 25, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

James picks Jan but with low confidence, citing volatility from Pereira's weight jump, recent knockout loss, and Jan's age. He thinks Jan is an underrated striker with good leg kicks and can compete on the feet, but he also notes Jan is hittable with the left hook. He believes Jan's path to victory includes takedowns, but he cannot guarantee Jan will wrestle.

"I'm gonna side with Yan because I feel like that I think Yan is a very underrated Striker"

Lucrative MMA

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Lean picked Jul 24, 2023 (5 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Blachowicz's underrated striking and ability to take the fight to the ground will be the difference. He can survive Pereira's power and find his way into the pocket to grind him out. Pereira hasn't faced someone of Blachowicz's size and grappling. I'm leaning Blachowicz by submission late, but not a lot of conviction.

fight doesn't go to decision

"I'm going to lean with blahovich again not a lot of conviction here but I think his overall Game and his comfortability at fighting at 205 pounds will eventually be the Difference Maker in the spot give me below hovich …"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Jul 26, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Alex Pereira

Paul picks Pereira, citing Błachowicz's age (40) and lack of recent wrestling success—only one takedown in his last nine fights (against Adesanya). He argues Błachowicz is not a high-level wrestler and fights at a slow pace, which plays into Pereira's striking. He notes Pereira's training with Glover Teixeira and improved takedown defense. He sees value at plus money.

"I gotta go the other side again the plus money is just a little too tempting"

Bookie Beatdown

LOSS vs Magomed Ankalaev

Draw (split) (48–47, 46–48, 47–47) R5 5:00 · UFC 282: Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev · Dec 10, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jan Błachowicz	0	55 of 117	47%	79 of 141	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
Magomed Ankalaev	0	78 of 184	42%	191 of 312	2 of 10	20%	0	0	11:20

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Jan Błachowicz	14 of 35	40%	14 of 35	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Magomed Ankalaev	19 of 43	44%	19 of 43	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Jan Błachowicz	23 of 43	53%	23 of 43	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Magomed Ankalaev	13 of 37	35%	23 of 47	0 of 2	0%	0:32
3	Jan Błachowicz	17 of 34	50%	18 of 35	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Magomed Ankalaev	18 of 48	37%	40 of 70	1 of 5	20%	1:26
4	Jan Błachowicz	1 of 3	33%	11 of 13	0 of 0	---	0:00
4	Magomed Ankalaev	10 of 19	52%	55 of 70	1 of 2	50%	4:32
5	Jan Błachowicz	0 of 2	0%	13 of 15	0 of 0	---	0:00
5	Magomed Ankalaev	18 of 37	48%	54 of 82	0 of 1	0%	4:50

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jan Błachowicz	55 of 117	47%	19 of 71	11 of 17	25 of 29	50 of 109	5 of 7	0 of 1
Magomed Ankalaev	78 of 184	42%	49 of 139	19 of 33	10 of 12	50 of 134	6 of 8	22 of 42

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jan Błachowicz	14 of 35	40%	3 of 20	4 of 8	7 of 7	14 of 35	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Magomed Ankalaev	19 of 43	44%	10 of 28	7 of 12	2 of 3	19 of 43	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	23 of 43	53%	10 of 27	3 of 4	10 of 12	18 of 36	5 of 7	0 of 0
2	Magomed Ankalaev	13 of 37	35%	7 of 24	2 of 8	4 of 5	13 of 37	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Jan Błachowicz	17 of 34	50%	5 of 19	4 of 5	8 of 10	17 of 34	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Magomed Ankalaev	18 of 48	37%	10 of 37	6 of 9	2 of 2	16 of 44	2 of 3	0 of 1
4	Jan Błachowicz	1 of 3	33%	1 of 3	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 3	0 of 0	0 of 0
4	Magomed Ankalaev	10 of 19	52%	4 of 13	4 of 4	2 of 2	1 of 8	4 of 5	5 of 6
5	Jan Błachowicz	0 of 2	0%	0 of 2	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 1	0 of 0	0 of 1
5	Magomed Ankalaev	18 of 37	48%	18 of 37	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 2	0 of 0	17 of 35

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ankalaev (-280), Blachowicz (+235)

Round 1
In this headliner, the vacant light heavyweight strap is on the line, as champ Jiri Prochazka surrendered it due to a severe shoulder injury. Once expecting to fight three rounds tonight, ex-titleholder Blachowicz (29-9, 12-6 UFC) and the streaking Dagestani wrestle-kickboxer Ankalaev (17-1, 9-1 UFC) are now going for five rounds and 10ish pounds of gold. While they are both touted for knockout power, they each post exactly nine knockouts in their respective careers, which account for 31% of the Polish fighter’s victories compared to 53% for the Russian. Whether it all ends by knockout, submission, decision or something else, referee Marc Goddard draws the final charge for this championship contest. The 205-pound challengers – this is a vacant title – stoically refuse to touch gloves to seal the cage around them, and it’s on with the show. Blachowicz moves to the middle of the cage to commence the match, and he backs off when Ankalaev throws a right hand at him. Blachowicz kicks the low calf, and he swats away a jab. Blachowicz sits down on another low kick, and he absorbs a front kick to the breadbasket for his work. Ankalaev jabs at the body, and Blachowicz pursues another calf kick. Ankalaev just misses with a left hand over the top, and he catches Blachowicz with a right hand as the Polish fighter comes at him. Ankalaev measures out with a right hook, and he scoots away before Blachowicz can plunk him with a haymaker. Blachowicz continues his work on the lead leg, and he backs away when Ankalaev bears down on him with a string of punches. The inside kick from Blachowicz irritates his opponent, and he connects with a right hand over the top that bounces off the forehead. The light heavyweights trade in the pocket, and Blachowicz slides back to rip a kick to the body. Ankalaev fires off a head kick after a lull in the action, but this careens off the guard to little effect. When the Russian tries to give chase, Blachowicz backpedals and evades the blows. Blachowicz sinks in another body kick, and Ankalaev counters him and pushes the ex-champ back with a front kick. The front kick from Ankalaev may be his best weapon, as he gets Blachowicz’ attention every time he lands it. Ankalaev barely ducks a left hook on his way forward, and he slaps a body kick home. Ankalaev checks a low kick, and the two tentatively walk one another down until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 2
The second round opens with a far fiercer exchange, as Blachowicz loads up on punches that miss while Ankalaev chambers and fires off a head kick that skims off the dome. Blachowicz has second thoughts about blitzing, and settles down on a calf kick again. Blachowicz scores a right hand over the top, and he sneaks a left hook around the guard. The Russian sneaks up another high kick, but this too is guarded. The two light heavyweights swing and miss with their kicks, and Ankalaev wings two punches that breeze past the intended target. Blachowicz continues to target the low calf of his adversary, and they clash shins at the same time when kicking. Blachowicz continues his work on the lead leg, and he darts forward with an uppercut to redden the face of the Russian. Ankalaev loads up on a big right hand, but his straight left is far more accurate. Blachowicz gets in sweeping kick to the shin, and this causes a stumble from Ankalaev, who is wearing it. Blachowicz blasts his man with another kick, and Ankalaev falls over briefly before charging forward, Blachowicz whips a kick to the side, and Ankalaev catches it and pushes forward for a possible takedown. Blachowicz tees off with his leg in the air, keeping his balance and belting Ankalaev with unanswered fists. When Ankalaev releases it and backs away, he changes stances. This prompts Blachowicz to attack the newly front calf, and this takes the sting out of an overhand right from the Russian. Blachowicz does not slow down pounding on the calf, and Ankalaev charges for a takedown. He does not get it before the round ends. and he limps back to his corner in serious pain.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 3
Ankalaev races forward to attack in the third round, and after one landed punch, Blachowicz wrecks his leg once more. Ankalaev wobbles and changes his stance to orthodox, so Blachowicz kicks that other leg. Ankalaev strafes from left to right, pushing out a front kick but getting pushed away from a body kick. Like a lumberjack felling a mighty oak, Blachowicz continues chopping down any leg he can find, and each strike has an appreciable effect. Playing through the pain, Ankalaev wings a huge overhand right that grazes the side of the head, and he rushes forward to throw bombs. No longer willing to sit and get potshotted, Ankalaev steps in to unload with two hooks that Blachowicz eats like pierogis. The Russian continues pressuring forward, but Blachowicz greets him with two leg kicks that nearly down Ankalaev. Ankalaev hops back and considers holding his left leg in the air, only to bite down on his mouthpiece and sling leather. When the blows largely get blocked, he sprints forward for a failed takedown. Blachowicz’ takedown defense holds up and he manages to escape, as Ankalaev kicks him in the chest. Ankalaev eats one more calf kick and walks the former champ down, throwing kicks with both lets. A knee from Ankalaev comes up in the clinch, and Blachowicz groans. Goddard recognizes this and halts the action, as Blachowicz goes to a neutral corner to try to shake it out and adjust his neoprene ankle sleeves. When they resume, Ankalaev re-engages closely to not let Blachowicz kick him again, ending up in the clinch. Ankalaev lifts up a single and dumps Blachowicz to the canvas with 10 seconds to spare, and he gets in two elbows before the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 4
The championship rounds have arrived, and Ankalaev’s legs may be swollen and welted, but he is good to go. The Russian sprints forward with a surge of adrenaline to swing hammers, and he punches his way into a single-leg entry. Blachowicz meets him on the way forward with an uppercut, and he absorbs a knee to the body when Ankalaev clinches him up. Ankalaev keeps tightly pressed on his man while Blachowicz attempts to escape, and they trade knees on the inside. Ankalaev gets short knees off on the inside, thumping up the body of the former champ. Blachowicz bursts to get away, but Ankalaev races ahead and sweeps him off his feet. Ankalaev lands in the guard of his foe, which closes around his waist, but he does not mind as he punches Blachowicz in the face from this position. Ankalaev cannot get enough space to do much damage from his short shots, but he does take the back when Blachowicz turns. Ankalaev considers attempting his first submission in the form of a rear-naked choke, but settles to drum up punches on the side of the head. Blachowicz returns to a knee, and Ankalaev wrestles him right back down. Ankalaev drops down the occasional left hand while he keeps a leg trapped, sitting comfortably in half guard with Blachowicz pinned to his back. Ankalaev grinds until he finds a way to posture up, and then he stands to rain down a few power punches. The round ends before any serious damage comes from this position.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev

Round 5
There is a double glove touch and a hug to start off the last round, and Ankalaev shocks his foe shortly after the embrace with a punch salvo. Ankalaev hurts Blachowicz with a barrage of blows, but his real purpose is to put Blachowicz on his back. The former champ tumbles to his back, and Ankalaev happily jumps on top to pick up where he left off. The crowd showers them with boos as they slow down considerably, with Ankalaev holding on from top position while Blachowicz looks for a low-percentage kimura sweep. Ankalaev easily wriggles his arm out, and he takes an arm away and starts pounding on Blachowicz with left hands. Blachowicz responds with no-look elbows, but there is no steam on them as Ankalaev continues to pound on the downed Polish fighter. Ankalaev hammers with punches and elbows, and a few get through as Blachowicz has his right arm trapped. Ankalaev continues to batter Blachowicz, whose eye is busted open from the strikes, and Blachowicz groans loudly either from frustration, injury or exertion. Ankalaev allows his foe to turn to his back so that he can smack him with left hands, and Goddard tells Ankalaev to stay busy. Ankalaev answers with a number of short elbows, and Jan is stuck on his back taking non-fight-ending punishment. Ankalaev continues his methodical ground-and-pound breakdown, and Blachowicz sits up in hopes of break this up. Ankalaev grinds right to the bitter end, and the light heavyweights have left their grueling match in the hands of the judges. They conclude a night that started strong and fell flat in the marquee attractions.
When the scorecards are read, the crowd is baffled and quite upset. The first scorecard went to Blachowicz by a 48-47 tally, the second read 48-46 for Ankalaev, and the third ended up as a 47-47 for a remarkable split draw. The UFC light heavyweight throne remains vacant, and Blachowicz admits in his post-fight interview that he feels Ankalaev won the fight. When Ankalaev speaks, he demands his title in belief that he should have been the victor, and the ultra-honorable Blachowicz interrupts him to again say that the UFC should give the belt to Ankalaev. An apoplectic Ankalaev declares in his post-fight interview that he may not fight in the UFC again, because the judges took the win away from him. With this event in the books, the UFC has one more this year. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev (48-47 Ankalaev)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev (49-46 Ankalaev)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ankalaev (48-47 Blachowicz)

The Official Result
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jan Blachowicz is Ruled a Split Draw (47-48, 48-46, 47-47)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Dec 4, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Angelo is very confident in Ankalaev, calling him the most complete fighter in the division with methodical, technical striking and wrestling. He believes Błachowicz's only chance is to land a big shot in close range, but Ankalaev's length, accuracy, and control will prevent that. He considers Ankalaev at -255 incredible value.

"ankalayev is absolutely the pick he is incredible value at minus 255."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Dec 7, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Big Brady picks Magomed Ankalaev, citing his wrestling as the key difference. He notes Błachowicz has poor getup game once taken down, and Ankalaev will mix in takedowns to win rounds. He expects a competitive but boring fight on the feet, with Ankalaev winning by decision. He expresses disappointment in the matchup.

Ankalaev wins by decision; fight goes to decision

"I think ankle live takes behovich down and once he does that's probably going to be the round there... I like ankle I had to get it done and to get it done by decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 7, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Cody picks Ankalaev, believing he is better in all facets and the number one guy in the division. He notes Ankalaev's high fight IQ, cardio, durability, and ability to adapt to opponents. He thinks Jan is older and his body is deteriorating, citing the Glover fight where Jan tapped quickly to a neck crank. Cody sees Ankalaev winning inside the distance, possibly in rounds 3-5, as Jan fades.

Ankalaev inside the distance (slight plus money)

"I think ankle live is better really in all facets of the game... I got Uncle life winning I don't think the money Line's terrible but if I was to try to chase a prop I got a feeling he's …"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Hesitant picked Dec 8, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Connor picks Błachowicz as a flyer, believing Ankalaev will wait too long to wrestle, which could be fatal against a striker as good and defensively sound as Błachowicz. He notes Błachowicz's jab, footwork, and counterpunching will trouble Ankalaev, and that Ankalaev's single-strike approach plays into Błachowicz's hands. However, he acknowledges Ankalaev could dominate if he wrestles early.

Odds: Błachowicz opened +170, now +224; Ankalaev opened -200, now -278.

"So I'm taking the flyer on block of it here."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked Dec 6, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Daniel Levi picks Magomed Ankalaev to win the vacant light heavyweight title. He emphasizes Ankalaev's patient, risk-averse style that frustrates opponents and his southpaw stance with a nasty counter right hook. Levi notes that Jan Błachowicz tends to attack in a straight line, which plays into Ankalaev's counters, and that Ankalaev can mix in takedowns from his Greco-Roman background. He acknowledges Błachowicz's power and body kicks but believes Ankalaev is defensively sound enough to avoid big moments and will win a decision, likely 4-1. Levi placed a 2-unit bet on Ankalaev at -250.

Bet 2 units on Ankalaev moneyline at -250. Expects decision win, possibly 4-1 rounds.

"I bet on magomed and Khalif... I played magomed minus 250 I played him to win two units"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Dec 9, 2022 (1 day before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Lock is confident in Ankalaev, having bet him as his lock of the week at -255. He believes Ankalaev is that much better than Błachowicz and will rule the light heavyweight division for years. From a PredictionStrike perspective, he thinks $5.26 is not too late to buy in, as Ankalaev has longevity and could reach $8-9 after defending the belt. He recommends holding onto the stock long-term rather than selling immediately.

lock of the week play at -255

"I personally bet him as my Lachlan I play earlier this week at minus 255. I thought that was a great line because I think he's just that much better than blowovich"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Dec 7, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Paul picks Ankalaev, noting he is a minus 255 favorite and that he believes Ankalaev is better in all facets. He struggles with Ankalaev's tendency to fight safe and not always press for finishes, making it hard to bet props. He thinks Ankalaev wins but is not confident in the moneyline at that price, considering a parlay or prop instead.

Ankalaev inside the distance (slight plus money)

"I think ankle live is better really in all facets of the game... I think he wins minus 255 as a favorite I don't hate it I don't love it I'll be picking him maybe I'll end up with him …"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 5, 2022 (5 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

The MMA Guru picks Magomed Ankalaev over Jan Błachowicz by decision. He believes Ankalaev will be patient at range, use front kicks and jabs, and mix in takedowns after making Błachowicz hesitant. He notes Ankalaev's experience over five rounds and his ability to drain opponents, predicting a 49-46 decision where Ankalaev loses the first round but dominates later rounds.

"I'm gonna be going with yamla no magamed and Goliath winning this one options win fights"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Dec 8, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Magomed Ankalaev

Zane picks Ankalaev, citing his durability, patience, and power. He believes Ankalaev will find a moment to take Błachowicz down and win three rounds, as Błachowicz has historically struggled against takedown artists. Zane trusts Ankalaev to be consistent enough to capitalize on opportunities.

Odds: Ankalaev opened -200, now -278.

"I'll take uncle live just to be patient enough and powerful enough and consistent enough to take advantage of his opportunities when he gets some out of the fight."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Aleksandar Rakić

TKO (knee injury) R3 1:11 · UFC on ESPN: Blachowicz vs. Rakic · May 14, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jan Błachowicz	0	31 of 71	43%	53 of 94	0 of 0	---	1	0	0:01
Aleksandar Rakić	0	27 of 85	31%	61 of 125	1 of 4	25%	0	0	4:33

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Jan Błachowicz	25 of 53	47%	25 of 53	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
1	Aleksandar Rakić	12 of 52	23%	12 of 52	0 of 2	0%	0	0:00
2	Jan Błachowicz	1 of 3	33%	23 of 26	0 of 0	---	1	0:00
2	Aleksandar Rakić	10 of 19	52%	44 of 59	1 of 2	50%	0	4:33
3	Jan Błachowicz	5 of 15	33%	5 of 15	0 of 0	---	0	0:01
3	Aleksandar Rakić	5 of 14	35%	5 of 14	0 of 0	---	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jan Błachowicz	31 of 71	43%	8 of 31	9 of 21	14 of 19	31 of 69	0 of 2	0 of 0
Aleksandar Rakić	27 of 85	31%	14 of 60	2 of 9	11 of 16	17 of 70	0 of 0	10 of 15

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jan Błachowicz	25 of 53	47%	7 of 24	6 of 14	12 of 15	25 of 51	0 of 2	0 of 0
1	Aleksandar Rakić	12 of 52	23%	1 of 32	1 of 8	10 of 12	12 of 52	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	1 of 3	33%	0 of 1	1 of 1	0 of 1	1 of 3	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Aleksandar Rakić	10 of 19	52%	10 of 17	0 of 0	0 of 2	0 of 4	0 of 0	10 of 15
3	Jan Błachowicz	5 of 15	33%	1 of 6	2 of 6	2 of 3	5 of 15	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Aleksandar Rakić	5 of 14	35%	3 of 11	1 of 1	1 of 2	5 of 14	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rakic (-180) Blachowicz (+155)

Round 1
For a probable light heavyweight title eliminator, the lead-up to this fight has been somewhat subdued, but none of that matters once the cage door closes on Blachowicz, Rakic and referee Mark Smith, who draws the final assignment at “UFC Vegas 54.” Both fighters are in orthodox stance. Blachowicz lands a hard calf kick. Blachowicz with a jab and missed right cross, then another low kick. They exchange flurries of punches. Blachowicz with a nice left to the body, but comes away bleeding from over the left eye. Blachowicz lands a low kick and another left to the body, but he is clearly distracted by blood dripping into the eye from that cut. Blachowicz catches Rakic with a right hand that rocks him, and Rakic grabs a body lock for a takedown. He can’t get it, but seems to have recovered as they disengage. Rakic steps inside a body shot and drops for a takedown, but can’t get it. Blachowicz comes up short with a calf kick at the 30 second mark. The horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 2
Blachowicz’s cutman has momentarily stopped the bleeding over the left eye, but that will certainly bear close watching as the fight goes on. The former champ lands a glancing low kick. Rakic drops levels for a takedown, and he gets it, hoisting the leg for a big finish, but dives right into a triangle choke. Blachowicz clears the arm and tries to cinch it up, but Rakic escapes and sets up in Blachowicz’s full guard. Blachowicz closes his guard and works to control Rakic’s wrists, while Rakic throws short elbow strikes to the body and head. As the halfway point of the round passes, Blachowicz briefly opens his guard and looks to hip out, but gives up on the attempt. Rakic is heavy on top, chest to chest, staying busy but not doing too much damage. They scoot to the fence and Blachowicz sits up, but Rakic has the legs laced and arms locked behind him. Rakic moves to one side and uses head position to pin Blachowicz’s torso up against the fence. Blachowicz stands just as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rakic
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rakic
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rakic

Round 3
Rakic is active with his jab in the opening seconds, reaching out to touch Blachowicz twice and backing him off. Blachowicz steps in and lands a combination, then another Rakic jab dislodges his mouthpiece. He pops it back in, and seconds later he lands an outside low kick to Rakic’s lead left leg.
Rakic steps back and unexpectedly, the right leg buckles under him completely. The Austrian goes down in agony, cradling the stricken limb.
Blachowicz steps in, but sees the fight is over and refrains from inflicting any unnecessary harm. A moment later, referee Smith arrives to wave it off, a surprising and disappointing end to fight that had been building towards something good.

The Official Result
Jan Blachowicz def. Aleksandar Rakic R3 1:11 via TKO (Leg Injury)

Cody Saftic Expert Hesitant picked May 11, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Aleksandar Rakić

Cody leans toward Rakić but is hesitant due to the price. He notes that Jan Błachowicz has a good body of work, striking, and takedown ability, but is concerned about a potential neck injury from the Glover fight. He thinks Rakić is young and hungry, but the value isn't there at -195, and he can't pull the trigger on the dog because he believes Jan is damaged goods.

"I think I would have to go wreckage but uh I'd like to put main events on my top ticket right and his wreckage a top ticket guy I just explained that I think that the value is not really …"

Bookie Beatdown

Paul Shaughnessy Expert picked May 11, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Paul is undecided, calling it a dogger pass. He acknowledges a case for Rakić's wrestling not being tested and Jan's fantastic chin and cardio. He wants to wait for weigh-ins and interviews before making a pick. He leans toward Jan as a live dog if he drags Rakić into deep waters and takes him down multiple times.

"there could be a case to be made that rakic's wrestling hasn't been tested and yawn historically fantastic chin good cardio volume is okay volume is better than what we've seen from rackets i mean if he drags this kid …"

Bookie Beatdown

LOSS vs Glover Teixeira

Submission (rear-naked choke) R2 3:02 · UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira · Oct 30, 2021

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Glover Teixeira	0	28 of 45	62%	53 of 73	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:15
Jan Błachowicz	0	23 of 39	58%	71 of 93	2 of 6	33%	2	0	5:17

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Glover Teixeira	6 of 8	75%	29 of 34	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
1	Jan Błachowicz	10 of 15	66%	51 of 61	1 of 2	50%	1	4:29
2	Glover Teixeira	22 of 37	59%	24 of 39	0 of 0	---	0	0:15
2	Jan Błachowicz	13 of 24	54%	20 of 32	1 of 4	25%	1	0:48

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Glover Teixeira	28 of 45	62%	20 of 37	6 of 6	2 of 2	26 of 43	1 of 1	1 of 1
Jan Błachowicz	23 of 39	58%	17 of 33	6 of 6	0 of 0	11 of 25	0 of 0	12 of 14

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Glover Teixeira	6 of 8	75%	4 of 6	0 of 0	2 of 2	5 of 7	0 of 0	1 of 1
1	Jan Błachowicz	10 of 15	66%	9 of 14	1 of 1	0 of 0	0 of 4	0 of 0	10 of 11
2	Glover Teixeira	22 of 37	59%	16 of 31	6 of 6	0 of 0	21 of 36	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	13 of 24	54%	8 of 19	5 of 5	0 of 0	11 of 21	0 of 0	2 of 3

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira

Round 1
At long last, the main event of UFC 267 is here. A Cinderella story himself, Blachowicz (28-8, 11-5 UFC) will look to keep an iron grip on his throne thanks to his renowned Polish power against fellow Cinderellian fighter Teixeira (32-7, 15-5 UFC). It is feel-good story on both counts between the 38-year-old Blachowicz and the 42-year-old former challenger Teixeira, but one will have to lose when it’s all said and done. Referee Marc Goddard is ready for wherever the fight takes him, and the light heavyweights show each other the utmost of respect, touching gloves before throwing down. Blachowicz leads the dance with a thumping leg kick, and Teixeira ducks down after a right hand to fake an ankle pick. Blachowicz does not bite, and instead kicks the lead calf again. Teixeira swarms with a few punches, and he charges in for a double and lifts the champion off the ground before slamming him to the mat. Teixeira, in the center of the cage, is tightly grasped by Blachowicz’ closed guard. Blachowicz holds on to not allow Teixeira to get off much in the way of ground-and-pound, and he sneaks up a short but effective elbow in a defensive blow. Teixeira calmly starts to work some strikes from on top, not forcing anything or allowing Blachowicz to gain any space to kick off or otherwise fight his way back up to his feet. Teixeira utilizes the can opener, grabbing Blachowicz on the back of his neck and wrenching his head up, in an effort to open the guard up. Blachowicz does not appear to appreciate this, but he does not loosen up his guard posture. The challenger hacks down with a few elbows, each of them landing loudly. Blachowicz stays on his back, riding out this position for most of the round without taking a great deal of damage. Teixeira latches on to the can opener one last time, and Blachowicz wriggles his neck free as the horn blares. When they stand up, Blachowicz acknowledges to Teixeira that the Brazilian won that round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Teixeira
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Teixeira
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Teixeira

Round 2
The second frame begins as Blachowicz is tentative, jabbing out from a distance while not committing to follow-up strikes. Teixeira charges with strikes, and Blachowicz backs away and trips on the outskirts of the cage. When Teixeira ducks into a takedown after eating a body shot, Blachowicz pulls his leg out with all his might to get away. The Polish fighter scores a solid combination to make Teixeira pay for the try, and he dings him with a sharp uppercut. The Brazilian pursues a takedown, but Blachowicz is ready for this one this time, and he turns his foe around on the fence while starting to land some knees. Blachowicz pushes off and aims an uppercut, and he tries to time another when Teixeira shoots. The shots are more telegraphed, and as Blachowicz tries to counter with another uppercut, a looping left hand catches Blachowicz on the side of the head, hurting the champion. Instead of following up with the strikes, he pursues a single, and he manages to wrestle the champ to his back. Unlike the last round, Teixeira does not stay in guard for long, instead passing to mount like a hot knife through butter. Blachowicz eats shots from on top, and he turns over to surrender his back. Teixeira flattens him out instantly, and he grabs hold of a rear-naked choke and is ready to set the hook. Crushing the forearm grip with all his might, the choke does not even go under Blachowicz’ chin, squeezing the jaw like a vice. Knowing his time is up, Blachowicz surrenders and lives to fight another day. Unbelievable! At the age of 42, Teixeira is now a UFC champion, and he is the second-oldest champ in UFC history trailing only to Randy Couture at 45. As he says in his post-fight interview, promises done, and he comes home with the belt. He invites likely challenger Jiri Prochazka to the cage to face off with him, and he hopes to meet him in May. Prochazka does not join him in the Octagon, but he does pose in the crowd, excited for the opportunity. In a final moment of pure inspiration, the new champion tells people to never give up on their dreams. Next week, another pair of belts will be on the line at UFC 268 in New York, and we will be here for it. We hope you are too.

The Official Result
Glover Teixeira def. Jan Blachowicz R2 3:02 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Oct 26, 2021 (4 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Big Brady picks Jan Błachowicz to win by knockout. He believes Jan is the better striker and will hurt Glover, who is chinny at 42. Glover's path is takedowns, but Jan has excellent takedown defense (only taken down once in last 10 fights). He expects Jan to be calculated and not rush in, eventually knocking Glover out. He references Jan's performance against Adesanya.

Błachowicz by knockout

"I'm going to go blhovet here um i could see to share having success here or there but i think beljovich knocks them out at some point."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Oct 27, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Cody agrees Jan wins but disagrees on finish, thinking Jan is more of a decision fighter. He notes Jan's solid takedown defense, BJJ black belt, and cardio. He picks Jan but sees the fight going over 2.5 rounds, possibly a decision. He mentions Jan by decision is +300 but he's not confident in a finish.

Over 2.5 rounds (-115), Jan by decision +300

"i got yawn but i could also see where yon just wins four of the five rounds and wins the unanimous decision"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked Oct 28, 2021 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Daniel picks Jan Błachowicz to defend his title, citing Jan's improved accuracy, timing, and ability to mix strikes and takedowns. He notes Jan's career turnaround and his wins over top competition like Dominick Reyes and Israel Adesanya. Daniel acknowledges Glover's dangerous ground game and toughness but believes Jan's composure and polish power will lead to a knockout. He emphasizes that Jan is a black belt and won't panic if Glover gets top position.

predicts knockout

"i got yamblochovic to defend his title for the second time and get a knockout along the way"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Oct 28, 2021 (2 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Błachowicz has Polish power and solid cardio, and he can stuff takedowns. Teixeira is slow and has been hurt in recent fights, relying on takedowns to bail him out. Błachowicz will find a knockout on the feet, likely in the first round.

"I still lean blo blhovich here i'm gonna go ablohovich i think he puts that polish power on him and then he gets to share out of there."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Oct 27, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

Paul picks Jan Błachowicz by knockout, citing Jan's 'Polish power' and Glover's compromised chin. He notes Glover has been stunned in recent fights and thinks over five rounds Jan will crack that chin. He mentions the bet is a small play at +100 by KO, not a massive one.

Jan by KO +100 (DraftKings), small play

"yawn by knockout is my pick"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Oct 24, 2021 (6 days before fight)

Jan Błachowicz

The MMA Guru picks Jan Błachowicz to win by KO in the first round. He notes that Glover Teixeira is 41, takes damage in every fight, and has been dropped multiple times. He praises Błachowicz's takedown defense, finishing instinct, and reach advantage. He contrasts Błachowicz's composed finishing (separating and dropping hammer fists) with other opponents who rushed in and gave up position. He predicts Błachowicz will rock Glover, separate, and finish with hammer fists.

first round ko

"i'm going to be going with yamblahovic here over glover to sharer i reckon he gets this one done by ko"

THE MMA GURU

View all 24 fights

Jacare Souza - Fight History

LOSS vs André Muniz

Technical Submission (armbar) R1 3:59 · UFC 262: Oliveira vs. Chandler · May 15, 2021

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
André Muniz	0	11 of 19	57%	15 of 23	1 of 2	50%	0	0	0:53
Jacare Souza	0	7 of 12	58%	19 of 26	2 of 3	66%	1	0	1:10

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	André Muniz	0	11 of 19	57%	15 of 23	1 of 2	50%	0	0	0:53
1	Jacare Souza	0	7 of 12	58%	19 of 26	2 of 3	66%	1	0	1:10

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
André Muniz	11 of 19	57%	5 of 13	4 of 4	2 of 2	7 of 13	0 of 0	4 of 6
Jacare Souza	7 of 12	58%	3 of 8	2 of 2	2 of 2	6 of 11	1 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	André Muniz	11 of 19	57%	5 of 13	4 of 4	2 of 2	7 of 13	0 of 0	4 of 6
1	Jacare Souza	7 of 12	58%	3 of 8	2 of 2	2 of 2	6 of 11	1 of 1	0 of 0

Big Brady Expert Confident picked May 11, 2021 (4 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

Souza has fought much better competition and is levels above Muniz. Muniz has poor takedown defense and has been knocked out in all four losses. Souza is a BJJ black belt who won't get submitted, and he has power. I think Souza takes Muniz down and finishes him by knockout, as Muniz's chin is suspect.

by KO

"I actually like jockery quite a bit in this fight i'm kind of shocked by the line ... i do like uh jockery sosa to get it done and i'm going to say by knockout"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked May 12, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

Cody picks Souza, arguing that Muniz's takedown defense is poor and Souza can take him down. He notes that Muniz's striking is not good enough to knock out Souza, and Souza has the advantage in both striking and grappling. Cody believes Souza will win by controlling the fight on the ground.

"jacare souza i think he can dictate it wherever the fight takes place"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked May 13, 2021 (2 days before fight)

André Muniz

Daniel Levi picks André Muniz, citing Jacare's age (41) and recent decline, especially the Kevin Holland loss. He notes that Muniz is a credentialed jiu-jitsu player and younger (31), and believes Muniz can attack off his back and outgrapple the older Jacare. Levi thinks Jacare's durability and ability to break opponents have diminished, and expects Muniz to win by decision or submission.

mentions Muniz's jiu-jitsu medals and Jacare's age

"i'm gonna go with andre muniz to just kind of be younger fresher"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Lean picked May 13, 2021 (2 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

The host picks Jacare Souza, giving him the jiu-jitsu advantage and noting his heavy strikes should get the fight to the ground. He acknowledges Souza is 41 and has a questionable chin after the Holland KO, but thinks he still has enough to grind out Muniz. He predicts a decision win and says he is not going to the betting window on this one.

Souza by decision

"i'm going with jakarta here as long as his chin isn't completely shot as some people make it out to be i do think that he grinds our moon is here uh and i think he wins this fight by …"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked May 12, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

Paul picks Souza, believing he still has one good fight left. He notes that Souza's grappling is elite and Muniz's striking is poor. Paul thinks Souza can dictate where the fight takes place and has the advantage on the ground. He acknowledges Souza's recent KO loss but points out that prior to that, Souza was competitive with top guys.

"i'm going to take jacquez who's in the spot"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked May 9, 2021 (6 days before fight)

André Muniz

The MMA Guru picks André Muniz to win by submission in the first round. He believes Jacare is too old and has declined significantly, as evidenced by Kevin Holland making his grappling look good. He thinks Muniz's athleticism on the ground will be too much for the slower Jacare, and predicts Muniz will catch Jacare on the feet or in a scramble and secure an armbar.

Muniz wins by submission in round 1 (armbar)

"i'm gonna have to pick andre muniz and i think i'm gonna pick andre muniz by submission"

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Kevin Holland

KO (punches) R1 1:45 · UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno · Dec 12, 2020

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Kevin Holland	0	15 of 18	83%	21 of 24	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:02
Jacare Souza	0	2 of 2	100%	2 of 2	2 of 3	66%	0	0	1:27

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Kevin Holland	0	15 of 18	83%	21 of 24	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:02
1	Jacare Souza	0	2 of 2	100%	2 of 2	2 of 3	66%	0	0	1:27

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Kevin Holland	15 of 18	83%	14 of 17	0 of 0	1 of 1	1 of 2	2 of 2	12 of 14
Jacare Souza	2 of 2	100%	2 of 2	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 0	2 of 2

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Kevin Holland	15 of 18	83%	14 of 17	0 of 0	1 of 1	1 of 2	2 of 2	12 of 14
1	Jacare Souza	2 of 2	100%	2 of 2	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 0	2 of 2

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Ronaldo Souza vs. Kevin Holland

Round 1
In a potential middleweight passing of the torch match – see also the previous bout – Holland (20-5, 7-2 UFC) will look to earn his fifth UFC win of the year against “Jacare” Souza (26-8, 1 NC; 9-5, 1 NC UFC). Thirteen years separate these two contenders, and referee Mark Smith will keep charge of the cage in this one. They touch gloves, and Holland lets loose a huge overhand right and a leg kick. Souza grabs his leg and hits a takedown, where Holland pulls his leg up to trap Souza and elbow him in the head like Anderson Silva did to Travis Lutter. Souza turns to try to get out of this position, and Holland powers back to his feet. Souza grips hold of a double, and then a single as Holland elbows his way out of danger. Holland latches on to a guillotine choke, and Souza pulls his head out and drops his opponent down. Holland starts talking trash while on his back, and Souza laughs and punches him in the face. Holland from his back nails Souza in the face with a huge right hand, and Souza falls to his back and gets blasted with another big right hand. “Jacare” leans backward as he is incredibly hurt while on his knees, and Holland springs up and drills Souza in the face with three lethal punches to completely shut Souza’s lights out. A few moments later, Souza manages to slump to his stool, and he nearly passes out again from the massive damage he received. Incredible! Holland has now won five fights this year, and done so in just seven impressive months. In his post-fight interview, Holland calls out Khamzat Chimaev to come up to greet him at 185 pounds next week.

The Official Result
Kevin Holland def. Ronaldo Souza R1 1:45 via KO (Punches)

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Dec 9, 2020 (3 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

Big Brady picks Jacare Souza to win by submission. He is concerned about Holland's poor takedown defense and submission history, and believes if Souza gets the fight to the mat, it's over. He notes Souza's superior competition and Holland's negative fight IQ. He passes on betting due to line movement but leans Souza.

submission

"i'm going so easy i'm taking the dog well i'm taking the probably going to be the favorite but i'm going so is a pie i'm going to go by submission"

DFS by the Numbers

Daniel Levi Expert Hesitant picked Dec 11, 2020 (1 day before fight)

Kevin Holland

Daniel is torn, acknowledging Holland's youth, reach, and hunger, but worried about his takedown defense and submission vulnerability. He notes Jacare's age and potential decline, but respects his jiu-jitsu. He picks Holland as a contrarian play since the line flipped, but calls it a very unconfident pick.

close decision

"i'ma go with holland but it's not a confident pick like"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Dec 7, 2020 (5 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

Souza is a high-level jiu-jitsu player who should be able to take Holland down and submit him. Holland has shown poor takedown defense and was submitted by Brendan Allen. Souza is older but still competitive, and his grappling is a huge threat. The line should be flipped; Souza is the better fighter here.

Souza via submission (first or second round); already bet 1.5 units at +140

"i do have a bet on jacqueline's souls already i've uh plugged it in at plus 140... i do like jock right here i got him at plus 140 already got a unit and a half on him"

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 6, 2020 (6 days before fight)

Jacare Souza

The MMA Guru picks Jacare Souza as an underdog, despite liking Kevin Holland. He believes Souza's chin, experience, and full camp will be key. He expects Holland to have a good first round but Souza to wear on him and get a submission win in the third round. He criticizes Holland's rapid fight schedule and lack of improvement.

submission win in the third round

"i'm gonna go with jackaraca and it really hurts me to say that and i really want that to be very clear here"

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Jan Błachowicz

Decision (split) (48–47, 47–48, 48–47) R5 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Jacare · Nov 16, 2019

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jan Błachowicz	0	71 of 170	41%	105 of 205	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:04
Jacare Souza	0	20 of 48	41%	56 of 88	0 of 5	0%	0	0	8:25

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Jan Błachowicz	8 of 16	50%	17 of 25	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Jacare Souza	2 of 5	40%	7 of 14	0 of 1	0%	3:30
2	Jan Błachowicz	15 of 38	39%	21 of 44	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Jacare Souza	9 of 15	60%	16 of 22	0 of 1	0%	1:28
3	Jan Błachowicz	16 of 44	36%	22 of 51	0 of 0	---	0:04
3	Jacare Souza	7 of 14	50%	14 of 21	0 of 1	0%	1:26
4	Jan Błachowicz	17 of 34	50%	23 of 40	0 of 0	---	0:00
4	Jacare Souza	1 of 9	11%	15 of 23	0 of 0	---	1:22
5	Jan Błachowicz	15 of 38	39%	22 of 45	0 of 0	---	0:00
5	Jacare Souza	1 of 5	20%	4 of 8	0 of 2	0%	0:39

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jan Błachowicz	71 of 170	41%	38 of 121	13 of 20	20 of 29	59 of 154	12 of 16	0 of 0
Jacare Souza	20 of 48	41%	8 of 28	3 of 10	9 of 10	18 of 45	2 of 3	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jan Błachowicz	8 of 16	50%	2 of 9	3 of 3	3 of 4	4 of 12	4 of 4	0 of 0
1	Jacare Souza	2 of 5	40%	0 of 2	1 of 2	1 of 1	1 of 4	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Jan Błachowicz	15 of 38	39%	8 of 29	2 of 4	5 of 5	15 of 38	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jacare Souza	9 of 15	60%	3 of 7	2 of 4	4 of 4	8 of 14	1 of 1	0 of 0
3	Jan Błachowicz	16 of 44	36%	7 of 30	4 of 7	5 of 7	13 of 40	3 of 4	0 of 0
3	Jacare Souza	7 of 14	50%	4 of 10	0 of 1	3 of 3	7 of 14	0 of 0	0 of 0
4	Jan Błachowicz	17 of 34	50%	10 of 24	4 of 5	3 of 5	14 of 30	3 of 4	0 of 0
4	Jacare Souza	1 of 9	11%	0 of 5	0 of 3	1 of 1	1 of 8	0 of 1	0 of 0
5	Jan Błachowicz	15 of 38	39%	11 of 29	0 of 1	4 of 8	13 of 34	2 of 4	0 of 0
5	Jacare Souza	1 of 5	20%	1 of 4	0 of 0	0 of 1	1 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jan Blachowicz vs. Ronaldo Souza

Round 1
We have reached our main event of the evening, as Blachowicz (24-8, 7-5 UFC) looks to spoil the light heavyweight debut of Souza (26-7, 1 NC; 9-4 UFC) like he did to Luke Rockhold in his last bout. With Brazilian fighters 3-3-1 throughout the night against foreign opponents, this one is for all the proverbial marbles. The headlining bout is under the watchful eye of referee Kevin MacDonald, and with two sportsmanlike shakes of the hands and glove touch to boot, we are underway! Souza starts out feinting and ducking down, but Blachowicz is the one who strikes first with a low leg kick. As he goes after another, Souza shoots in for an early takedown, and Blachowicz stuffs it and stands up with his back against the cage. Souza looks for a trip when they are clinched, but the Pole keeps his balance and defends from persistent attacks. Souza lands a couple foot stops, and a short body shot as he leans heavy on his man. Blachowicz pushes off and they get back to the center of the cage, where "Jacare" throws a long punch to the body and a leg kick as he circles around in herky-jerky fashion. Another low kick finds its home from Blachowicz, but he is largely throwing single strikes as to not overcommit and risk getting planted on his back. A quick head kick comes up from Blachowicz, but the Brazilian is able to block it in time. Souza leaps forward with a right hand to close the distance, and is clipped with an uppercut coming in but gets back to grinding Blachowicz against the cage wall. Blachowicz slams in a solid knee to the midsection, and even briefly tries to hit a trip, before bailing on it and throwing an upward elbow. Blachowicz punches to the thigh and then brings up a short knee, and Souza cannot get him down as the time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Souza
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Souza
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Souza

Round 2
A touch of gloves clock in the second round, and Blachowicz starts out with a kick to his opponent's knee. He then lands a body kick, and as Souza rushes in, he tries to counter with an uppercut but the Brazilian backs off in time. A low kick from Blachowicz is followed by a few jabs, and they both clank solid right hands off each other’s' jaws and disengage. "Jacare" slaps Blachowicz with a heavy leg kick, so the Pole returns fire as the crowd grows increasingly restless. Souza comes at him from a great distance with a double leg takedown attempt, and Blachowicz sees it from a mile away and stuffs it, but he is stuck with his back against the cage wall like much of the opening frame. Souza changes levels to go after a takedown, and Blachowicz is wise to it and pulls him back up, and brings up a knee for good measure. If Mike Goldberg were calling this fight, he would have almost undoubtedly let his "embrace the grind" catchphrase fly by now. Blachowicz separates and takes the center of the Octagon, and Souza is quick to follow. They trade single body kicks, and Souza slowly walks his opponent down but Blachowicz throws a few jabs to back him off. A sweeping low kick comes from Souza, and this time Blachowicz retires with a right to the body and left to the head that makes "Jacare" dart away briefly. The low kick lands again from Souza, and he follows it with a crisp right hand that makes Blachowicz nearly bounce off the fence, but he comes back and throws a spinning wheel kick that is several feet away from his target. This slow round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Souza
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Souza
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Souza

Round 3
This round, like the first two, starts with a glove touch and then a leg kick from Blachowicz. "Jacare" returns fire with one that is much heavier, and Blachowicz tries to respond with one but the power difference in these kicks is substantial. Souza just misses with a right hand, and Blachowicz doubles up with a jab before charging in with a series of punches that only partially land. Souza counters with a right over the top, and barely misses with another right as he pushes in for the clinch. Souza leans heavy, and throws a few mild body shots while Blachowicz responds with some short knees. The Pole breaks free and then turns into a leg kick, and as he throws another, Souza checks it. The Brazilian throws one back and Blachowicz lifts his leg up. A jab comes from Blachowicz, and then a low kick, followed by a jab, and while they land, they are hardly showing an effect. Souza presses forward and wings a right hand, while changing levels to hit a double leg takedown. Souza nearly sweeps the leg but Blachowicz recovers underhooks and reverses the position, lands a shot and breaks free. The two stand in front of one another for a good 30 seconds, until Souza explodes with a right hand that lands, leading to a quick reply from Blachowicz that ends the round. Each of these three so far have been very uneventful and difficult to score.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Souza
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Souza

Round 4
A half-hearted head kick comes from Souza to begin the round, and the pace has waned to a crawl. Blachowicz scores a few jabs, and "Jacare" looks to come back but it is nothing doing. As he lands a few more, Souza tries to fire back with heavy shots, and Blachowicz backs off. As Souza rushes in to engage the clinch, Blachowicz catches him on the way in with a few sharp punches, but the Brazilian ignores them to hang on to his opponent. The crowd groans, and lights start to appear in the darkness and begin waving back and forth, voicing and displaying their disapproval for this drag of a fight. Blachowicz separates with a left hand, and then snaps out a jab, but does not do more. A low kick nearly makes Blachowicz trip over, and then he throws one back that causes Souza to stumble. Another few kicks from Blachowicz land, and Souza has started to limp while Blachowicz grins at him. Blachowicz comes up high with a head kick and Souza blocks it, before throwing a low kick that the Brazilian attempts to check it. An inside kick comes up high and Souza complains about a groin shot, but Blachowicz cries foul and the referee says it was not a low blow. Blachowicz comes at him with a body kick and is walking Souza down, and the fourth period ends while we can see the visible damage and swelling of Blachowicz' left foot -- it is transforming into a "balewn."

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz

Round 5
The men touch gloves for one final time, and Blachowicz throws a jab and a low kick as he switches stances. Another kick from Blachowicz's back leg scores, and as Souza rushes in to land a takedown, like many times before, Blachowicz stuffs it and stands up him with his back pressed firmly against the fence. Souza tries to quickly change levels and hit a takedown and Blachowicz staves it off with a slew of punches. From a distance, "Jacare" races forward and goes after a double, but he cannot land it and we go back to the position from before. MacDonald finally separates the two, as he likely should have in the earlier rounds, halfway into Round 5. A head kick from Blachowicz comes up but it is short, and a low kick is also shy of the mark. Souza swings hard into a leg kick but misses, and Blachowicz tags him with a left hand. Souza storms in low for a takedown and gets blasted with an uppercut that makes him slip around like he is on ice skates. Whether a knockdown or a severe slip, Souza ate that on the chin and then took a few more punches along the way. "Jacare" regains his composure but has completely stopped throwing anything from any of his eight limbs. Blachowicz picks at him with a few leg kicks and jabs, misses with one last head kick, and this fight is mercifully over. Both men raise their arms in the air to celebrate their victory, but neither should be happy with that 25-minute display.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (48-47 Blachowicz)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (48-47 Souza)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Blachowicz (48-47 Souza)

The Official Result
Jan Blachowicz def. Ronaldo Souza via Split Decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)

LOSS vs Jack Hermansson

Decision (unanimous) (49–45, 48–47, 48–47) R5 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson · Apr 27, 2019

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jack Hermansson	0	90 of 175	51%	120 of 205	0 of 3	0%	0	0	0:29
Jacare Souza	0	148 of 372	39%	256 of 496	3 of 10	30%	1	0	6:51

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Jack Hermansson	7 of 17	41%	26 of 36	0 of 1	0%	0	0:29
1	Jacare Souza	26 of 44	59%	29 of 47	0 of 1	0%	1	1:32
2	Jack Hermansson	8 of 12	66%	10 of 14	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Jacare Souza	9 of 25	36%	107 of 139	1 of 1	100%	0	3:59
3	Jack Hermansson	30 of 50	60%	30 of 50	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
3	Jacare Souza	28 of 81	34%	28 of 81	0 of 4	0%	0	0:05
4	Jack Hermansson	19 of 40	47%	22 of 43	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
4	Jacare Souza	50 of 123	40%	50 of 123	0 of 1	0%	0	0:32
5	Jack Hermansson	26 of 56	46%	32 of 62	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
5	Jacare Souza	35 of 99	35%	42 of 106	2 of 3	66%	0	0:43

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jack Hermansson	90 of 175	51%	65 of 141	24 of 33	1 of 1	74 of 154	15 of 20	1 of 1
Jacare Souza	148 of 372	39%	96 of 313	32 of 36	20 of 23	120 of 339	24 of 29	4 of 4

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jack Hermansson	7 of 17	41%	5 of 14	2 of 3	0 of 0	5 of 15	2 of 2	0 of 0
1	Jacare Souza	26 of 44	59%	9 of 25	10 of 10	7 of 9	18 of 36	8 of 8	0 of 0
2	Jack Hermansson	8 of 12	66%	7 of 10	0 of 1	1 of 1	7 of 11	0 of 0	1 of 1
2	Jacare Souza	9 of 25	36%	6 of 20	0 of 2	3 of 3	5 of 21	0 of 0	4 of 4
3	Jack Hermansson	30 of 50	60%	21 of 37	9 of 13	0 of 0	27 of 47	3 of 3	0 of 0
3	Jacare Souza	28 of 81	34%	14 of 67	5 of 5	9 of 9	26 of 78	2 of 3	0 of 0
4	Jack Hermansson	19 of 40	47%	16 of 37	3 of 3	0 of 0	15 of 33	4 of 7	0 of 0
4	Jacare Souza	50 of 123	40%	41 of 112	9 of 10	0 of 1	44 of 113	6 of 10	0 of 0
5	Jack Hermansson	26 of 56	46%	16 of 43	10 of 13	0 of 0	20 of 48	6 of 8	0 of 0
5	Jacare Souza	35 of 99	35%	26 of 89	8 of 9	1 of 1	27 of 91	8 of 8	0 of 0

WIN vs Chris Weidman

KO (punches) R3 2:46 · UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis · Nov 03, 2018

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jacare Souza	0	68 of 193	35%	76 of 201	1 of 1	100%	0	0	0:43
Chris Weidman	1	74 of 132	56%	100 of 158	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:07

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Jacare Souza	0	23 of 68	33%	23 of 68	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Chris Weidman	0	14 of 30	46%	15 of 31	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Jacare Souza	0	26 of 64	40%	34 of 72	1 of 1	100%	0:43
2	Chris Weidman	0	31 of 59	52%	50 of 78	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Jacare Souza	0	19 of 61	31%	19 of 61	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Chris Weidman	1	29 of 43	67%	35 of 49	0 of 0	---	0:07

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jacare Souza	68 of 193	35%	52 of 171	14 of 20	2 of 2	61 of 182	7 of 11	0 of 0
Chris Weidman	74 of 132	56%	42 of 89	24 of 31	8 of 12	57 of 109	15 of 21	2 of 2

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jacare Souza	23 of 68	33%	21 of 65	2 of 3	0 of 0	21 of 66	2 of 2	0 of 0
1	Chris Weidman	14 of 30	46%	5 of 16	5 of 7	4 of 7	11 of 27	3 of 3	0 of 0
2	Jacare Souza	26 of 64	40%	16 of 50	8 of 12	2 of 2	23 of 58	3 of 6	0 of 0
2	Chris Weidman	31 of 59	52%	19 of 43	10 of 13	2 of 3	21 of 46	9 of 12	1 of 1
3	Jacare Souza	19 of 61	31%	15 of 56	4 of 5	0 of 0	17 of 58	2 of 3	0 of 0
3	Chris Weidman	29 of 43	67%	18 of 30	9 of 11	2 of 2	25 of 36	3 of 6	1 of 1

LOSS vs Kelvin Gastelum

Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington · May 12, 2018

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Kelvin Gastelum	0	64 of 115	55%	78 of 129	1 of 9	11%	1	1	3:28
Jacare Souza	1	53 of 145	36%	57 of 149	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:35

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Kelvin Gastelum	0	21 of 22	95%	32 of 33	0 of 2	0%	1	1	2:57
1	Jacare Souza	0	7 of 7	100%	9 of 9	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:17
2	Kelvin Gastelum	0	24 of 56	42%	24 of 56	0 of 3	0%	0	0	0:01
2	Jacare Souza	1	24 of 73	32%	24 of 73	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:13
3	Kelvin Gastelum	0	19 of 37	51%	22 of 40	1 of 4	25%	0	0	0:30
3	Jacare Souza	0	22 of 65	33%	24 of 67	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:05

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Kelvin Gastelum	64 of 115	55%	42 of 84	21 of 30	1 of 1	42 of 90	8 of 11	14 of 14
Jacare Souza	53 of 145	36%	44 of 133	7 of 10	2 of 2	41 of 125	9 of 10	3 of 10

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Kelvin Gastelum	21 of 22	95%	14 of 14	7 of 8	0 of 0	0 of 1	7 of 7	14 of 14
1	Jacare Souza	7 of 7	100%	3 of 3	3 of 3	1 of 1	0 of 0	7 of 7	0 of 0
2	Kelvin Gastelum	24 of 56	42%	15 of 40	9 of 16	0 of 0	24 of 54	0 of 2	0 of 0
2	Jacare Souza	24 of 73	32%	20 of 67	3 of 5	1 of 1	21 of 63	0 of 0	3 of 10
3	Kelvin Gastelum	19 of 37	51%	13 of 30	5 of 6	1 of 1	18 of 35	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Jacare Souza	22 of 65	33%	21 of 63	1 of 2	0 of 0	20 of 62	2 of 3	0 of 0

WIN vs Derek Brunson

KO (head kick and punches) R1 3:50 · UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2 · Jan 27, 2018

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jacare Souza	1	9 of 21	42%	9 of 21	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:04
Derek Brunson	0	8 of 34	23%	8 of 34	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Jacare Souza	1	9 of 21	42%	9 of 21	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:04
1	Derek Brunson	0	8 of 34	23%	8 of 34	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jacare Souza	9 of 21	42%	7 of 10	2 of 11	0 of 0	6 of 17	1 of 1	2 of 3
Derek Brunson	8 of 34	23%	5 of 28	2 of 4	1 of 2	8 of 34	0 of 0	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jacare Souza	9 of 21	42%	7 of 10	2 of 11	0 of 0	6 of 17	1 of 1	2 of 3
1	Derek Brunson	8 of 34	23%	5 of 28	2 of 4	1 of 2	8 of 34	0 of 0	0 of 0

LOSS vs Robert Whittaker

TKO (head kick and punches) R2 3:28 · UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis · Apr 15, 2017

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Robert Whittaker	0	9 of 36	25%	13 of 40	1 of 3	33%	0	0	0:48
Jacare Souza	1	55 of 110	50%	57 of 112	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:25

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Robert Whittaker	0	5 of 24	20%	8 of 27	1 of 2	50%	0:48
1	Jacare Souza	0	18 of 39	46%	19 of 40	0 of 0	---	0:04
2	Robert Whittaker	0	4 of 12	33%	5 of 13	0 of 1	0%	0:00
2	Jacare Souza	1	37 of 71	52%	38 of 72	0 of 0	---	0:21

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Robert Whittaker	9 of 36	25%	6 of 31	3 of 5	0 of 0	6 of 32	3 of 4	0 of 0
Jacare Souza	55 of 110	50%	47 of 97	7 of 12	1 of 1	40 of 85	1 of 4	14 of 21

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Robert Whittaker	5 of 24	20%	4 of 21	1 of 3	0 of 0	2 of 20	3 of 4	0 of 0
1	Jacare Souza	18 of 39	46%	15 of 34	3 of 5	0 of 0	17 of 38	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Robert Whittaker	4 of 12	33%	2 of 10	2 of 2	0 of 0	4 of 12	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jacare Souza	37 of 71	52%	32 of 63	4 of 7	1 of 1	23 of 47	0 of 3	14 of 21

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Ronaldo ”Jacare” Souza vs. Robert Whittaker

Round 1
Whittaker tests the range with some long left hands and denies the first attempt by "Jacare" to tie up near the fence. Ninety seconds in, Souza gets the clinch and pins Whittaker to the fence, hits the Australian with a few knees inside and then takes him down. Whittaker tries to roll into top position but Souza keeps hold of an ankle and maintains control on the ground. Whittaker gets back to his feet, gets taken down again and has to escape quickly as Souza tries to take the back. The middleweights are back to striking in the center of the cage with two minutes on the clock. A big left from Whittaker knocks an off-balance Jacare to the ground, but the Brazilian is back on his feet without absorbing damage. Whittaker is starting to find the range with his hands now, clipping Souza with another right hand, now an uppercut. Souza takes back some ground with a pair of blasting overhand rights of his own as they hit the final minute of round one. Whittaker counters a wild punch from Souza with a speedy left-handed counter, then backs up the BJJ black belt with a straight left at the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Whittaker
Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Whittaker
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Whittaker

Round 2
A massive right hand from Whittaker floors "Jacare" in the first 30 seconds of the round. Whittaker tries to pounce and pound out his wounded opponent, but Souza ties him up in guard and limits the space for striking. Whittaker backs off, stands and wants Souza to do the same. Now it's Souza circling around the edge of the cage, circling directly into a right high kick from Whittaker. The tables have turned as Whittaker stalks from the center, picking his shots as Souza tries to clear the cobwebs. Souza remains on unsteady feet through the middle of the round, and Whittaker does not let up on the pressure. Another right high kick to the face puts "Jacare" on wobbly legs; Whittaker hustles him to the floor and begins punching away, though Souza is avoiding many of the strikes by using his legs to push the standing Whittaker away. Souza rolls to his knees, and referee Mario Yamasaki picks a strange time to step in for the stoppage. Souza, who was clearly hurt from the head kick and ate several punches on the ground, appeared to be moving toward a better position. Nonetheless, the ref's decision stands, and Robert Whittaker has pulled off the upset.

The Official Result
Robert Whittaker def. Ronaldo Souza via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) R2 3:28

View all 16 fights