Whereas the UFC‘s schedule for 2024 solely has another card left, this Saturday night time’s UFC Tampa from Amalie Area, the house venue of the NHL‘s Tampa Bay Lightning, Dana White and his employees are already arduous at work placing collectively fights for subsequent 12 months.
Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) will quickly be again in motion. He hasn’t made the stroll to the well-known Octagon since July of final 12 months throughout UFC 291 versus present UFC Gentle Heavyweight Champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in a three-round affair. He got here away empty-handed by the use of cut up determination.
After, he was slated to make a return to the cage on the high of 2024 towards Aleksandar Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) throughout UFC 297 from Scotiabank Area in Toronto on Jan. 20. This is able to have been a rematch between the 2 males, having squared off towards each other in Might of 2022 , with Blachowicz profitable by third-round TKO after Rakic was unable to proceed because of a leg harm.
Jan Blachowicz Returns to Cage This March
Previous to the struggle going down, Jan Blachowicz can be compelled out of motion because of needing a left shoulder surgical procedure in March of 2024, after having had an operation on his proper shoulder in December of 2023.
First shoulder operated on. Sadly, there was an excessive amount of work to do with one, so that they could not repair each without delay. One other surgical procedure quickly. I am going to have to attend just a little longer to come back again.
I want you all Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/RDIIxDSBgm
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) December 23, 2023
Tuesday afternoon, his comeback was introduced. Throughout the March 22 UFC London card from 02 Area, he’ll struggle towards Carlos Ulberg (11-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC).
The UFC made this pairing official on its social media feeds earlier Tuesday. Subsequent to the struggle between Jan Blachowicz and Carlos Ulberg being introduced, a heavyweight struggle pitting Marcin Tybura (26-9 MMA, 13-8 UFC) and Mick Parkin (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) was additionally revealed to be going down on March 22.
It is happening in London City 💂🇬🇧
The primary #UFCLondon matchups are on the books! pic.twitter.com/NC8a7EZca3
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2024
As per the phrases of the struggle contract, each fights introduced to happen in the course of the card will likely be an marketed most of three rounds at 5 minutes per spherical.
Jan Blachowicz Steps Into Octagon for First Battle in 20 Months
Heading into the struggle versus Carlos Ulberg on March 22, Jan Blachowicz has posted a mark of 2-2-1 in his final 5 fights. Previous to the July 2023 contest towards Alex Pereira, he had been on a two-fight unbeaten streak, eking out a cut up draw after 5 rounds towards Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1, 1 NC MMA, 11-1-1, 1 NC UFC) throughout UFC 282’s major occasion, ensuing within the UFC Gentle Heavyweight Championship remaining a vacant title for an additional month.
The 205-lb. championship can be claimed on Jan. 21, 2023 by Jamahal Hill (12-2, 1 NC MMA, 6-2, 1 NC UFC), a 2019 graduate of Dana White’s Contender Sequence in its first season on ESPN+, by way of unanimous determination after 5 rounds over Glover Teixeira (33-9 MMA, 16-7 UFC) throughout UFC 283.
Earlier this 12 months, Jan Blachowicz talked about his restoration from surgical procedure with James Lynch. At the moment, he focused a return to the cage on the finish of the present 12 months. He had no plans to finish this present chapter of his life with the operations.
“If I needed to complete my profession, I’d not do the surgical procedures,” Blachowicz stated, “In regular life, I can do virtually the whole lot, so if I needed to complete my profession, I cannot do that.”
Ulberg Coming In Scorching
Within the different nook, Carlos Ulberg enters this struggle towards Jan Blachowicz simply after the spring equinox having gone undefeated at 5-0 in his final 5 contests. All informed, he’s presently on a seven-fight profitable streak courting again to February of 2022.
Proper earlier than the Thanksgiving vacation inside america, he scored a unanimous determination victory over Volkan Oezdemir (20-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC), a veteran of Bellator MMA, throughout UFC Macau on Nov. 23. Within the aftermath of the struggle towards Oezdemir just a few weeks in the past, Ulberg rose three spots within the pecking order at 205 lbs.
He’ll be coming into the lean with Jan Blachowicz on March 22 at No. 7 within the division. With Ulberg not having misplaced in over three years by the point the struggle rolls round on the primary weekend of spring, one other victory may spell a stint contained in the top-5 at 205 for him.
Solely time will inform, nonetheless, if he’s going to have the ability to get previous a troublesome opponent within the type of Jan Blachowicz.
Last Ideas
Should you haven’t but gotten out your 2025 calendar, flip forward to the March web page and go to the Saturday column. Make sure to circle March 22 on there and write down “UFC London: Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg at O2 Area.” You aren’t going to wish to miss this one.
