UFC Vegas 54: Jan Blachowicz sets up title shot as Aleksandar Rakic suffers gruesome knee injury
- Former light heavyweight champ rebounds with TKO win on Saturday night in Las Vegas, after Rakic’s right knee blows out
- Polish veteran could receive next shot at winner of June 11 title fight between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka
Poland’s Jan Blachowicz got back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 54 on Saturday night, after Aleksandar Rakic suffered a gruesome knee injury in the third round of their light heavyweight contest.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion took on Austria’s Rakic in the event’s headlining attraction inside the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. It was his first fight back after surrendering the division’s title to Glover Teixeira last October.
Blachowicz, 39, suffered a cut to the eye early in the first round, but was successful with his striking nonetheless, attacking Rakic’s legs with kicks, and his torso and head with punches.
The Pole spent the bulk of the second round on his back, but he was able to turn things around in the third round, once again targeting Rakic’s legs – this time with fight-ending consequences.
At the 1:11 mark of the third frame, he chopped his fellow European down with a kick to the knee, forcing the referee to intervene and stop the fight.
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“This is our goal — our secret weapon in the gym,” Blachowicz said in his post-fight interview with commentator Michael Bisping, explaining the importance of the leg kick.
“We always kick it. Aleksandar, he’s got long legs. In his position, he’s very low, so I knew all kicks would be on point.
Per the UFC, Rakic will go for an MRI on Monday for a potential MCL and LCL tear.
With his win over Rakic, Blachowicz (29-9) burst back into title contention, and could conceivably receive a shot at the winner of an upcoming title fight between Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka, slated for the main event of UFC 275 on June 11 in Singapore.
The 30-year-old Rakic (14-3), meanwhile, is back in the loss column after back-to-back decision victories over former title challengers Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.
