Jan Blachowicz on UFC London Defeat: 'I’ll Leave the Verdict for Discussion'

Jan Blachowicz’s Octagon return didn’t end in victory, but there were at least some observers who thought the Polish light heavyweight deserved the nod on the scorecards.

After being sidelined for nearly 20 months due to multiple shoulder surgeries, Blachowicz dropped a closely-contested unanimous decision to Carlos Ulberg in the UFC London co-headliner this past Saturday. Four of the 12 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com saw the contest in favor of Blachowicz. While Ulberg held a 75-to-59 advantage in significant strikes landed, his favored offense in the fight was leg kicks, where he outlanded his foe 50 to 32.

Blachowicz reacted to the ruling in a recent post on his Instagram account.

“More controversy on the record, as it turns out the approach to significant strikes doesn’t align with the actual meaning,” Blachowicz wrote. “I’ll leave the verdict for discussion. What happened in the stands after the announcement, and what’s happening online right now, is pretty telling.

“I appreciate it, but the verdict is out there, and unfortunately, it will stay on my record. We keep moving forward, going for more. Your support has been huge, and I’ll remember this moment for a long time.”

The former 205-pound champion is no stranger to narrow verdicts on the scorecards. Prior to facing Ulberg, Blachowicz fell to Alex Pereira via split decision in the Brazilian’s light heavyweight debut at UFC 291. And one fight before that, he battled Magomed Ankalaev to a split draw in a fight for the vacant light heavyweight crown at UFC 282.

Even at 42 years old and coming off a significant surgery, Blachowicz still proved himself to be a difficult test for one of the division’s rising contenders. Despite the disappointing nature of the defeat, he was able to appreciate the other aspects of his return.

“This camp was one of the best I’ve had. I missed this, every part of this game,” Blachowicz wrote. “The welcome and support during fight week from the whole [UFC] team was amazing — I knew you missed me, but I didn’t know it was like this. Thank you!”

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