Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos are set to headline UFC Prague
Light heavyweights Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos are set to headline the UFC’s first ever visit to the Czech Republic on Feb. 23 in Prague.
This fight between #4 ranked Blachowicz and the #6 ranked Santos is likely to determine the next challenger for the light heavyweight gold against the winner of the Jones vs. Smith fight that will take place a week later at UFC 235.
For Poland’s Jan Blachowicz (23-7), it is all about cementing the No. 1 contender spot going into this fight. You could argue that he should have held out for the next title shot now as he is currently on a four fight win streak in the stacked light heavyweight division. Blachowicz arrived in the UFC in 2014 after dominating the European MMA scene and this is the closest he has been to a title shot after losing four of his first six fights inside of the Octagon.
The heavy hitting Brazilian Thiago Santos (20-6) will be stepping into the Octagon for the 18th time when he faces Blachowicz in Prague, but only for the third time during his spell at light heavyweight where he is currently undefeated (2-0). Having impressively stopped his opponents in his first two fights at 205 lbs, Santos has rocketed up the division ranks and he will be hoping that another dominant display will put him within reaching the distance of a title shot.
The Czech fans are in for a treat as this matchup between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in Blachowicz and light heavyweight reborn knockout artist in Santos is a very intriguing one and one that has a lot on the line in the division’s title picture.
Sports journalist based in CA, USA.
Twitter: @ArionArmeniakos
