Jan Błachowicz unfazed by late opponent change

The former UFC champion remains confident despite facing undefeated Navajo Stirling instead of Bogdan Guskov.

Jan Błachowicz’s path back toward a title fight has taken yet another unexpected turn.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was originally scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov on August 1. However, that changed after Bogdan Guskov had to step in at the last minute to replace the injured Khalil Rountree Jr. and face Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.

As a result, Jan Błachowicz will now face Navajo Stirling. Although this switch is once again on short notice, the Pole isn’t letting it rattle him. He emphasizes that the change in opponent has hardly affected his preparation.

“I don’t think about this mess around because I don’t want to waste energy for that. Okay, it’s a new opponent; that’s it. We do small changes and we are here to win the fight against him, or a different opponent doesn’t matter.”

said Jan Błachowicz.

This fight now gives him the chance to end his longest winless streak. He’s been waiting for a win for four fights. Although his last fight was a draw against Bogdan Guskov, his last victory was back in 2022.

With Navajo Stirling, he now faces a difficult challenge. However, he’ll do everything in his power to take home the win.

I think Jan Błachowicz will go into this fight in good shape. His opponent is certainly no easy task, but I believe Jan Błachowicz’s determination is too strong. I think this fight will get him back on the path to success. Whether that's actually how it turns out remains to be seen.