Your #UFCPrague main event is here and it has fireworks all over it! @JanBlachowicz vs @TMarretaMMA pic.twitter.com/sSXcbjndVy
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) December 21, 2018
On Friday, the UFC announced the headliner for their first trip to the Czech Republic in the capital city of Prague, where light heavyweight Blachowicz (23-7) will square off against Santos (20-6) at UFC on ESPN+ 3 in February.
Polish powerhouse and former KSW light heavyweight kingpin Blachowicz has had a bit of a career revival since mid-2017, starting 2-4 inside the promotion but rebounding in a big way to win his last four. Most recently, Blachowicz submitted Nikita Krylov with an arm-triangle choke in September. In those last four outings, Blachowicz has earned himself three post-fight bonuses.
One of the most active fighters on the UFC roster in 2018, Santos competed five times and won three post-fight bonuses while moving up a weight class. Riding a three-fight win streak, his most recent performance was a thriller against Jimi Manuwa, where he flattened Manuwa in the second round. Tied with Anderson Silva with the most knockouts in middleweight history with 8, Santos moved up to light heavyweight and retained his power, as he has scored knockouts in each of his two bouts in that new weight class.
UFC on ESPN+ 3, also known as UFC Fight Night 145, will take place on Feb. 23 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Also appearing on the card will be Czech flyweight Lucie Pudilova, who will face Liz Carmouche in a pivotal bout in the division.