Jan Blachowicz breaks silence on inactivity after going through "worst" surgery ever, talks retirement concerns after injuries: "I didn't expect that"

Jan Blachowicz has opened up about the injuries that kept him away from the octagon for a long time. According to Blachowicz, it made him think about retiring, but he is back and determined to contend for UFC gold again.

In his last octagon outing at UFC 291 in July 2023, Blachowicz took on former champion Alex Pereira and suffered a split decision loss. The Polish fighter was expected to face Aleksandar Rakic in a rematch last year.

However, shoulder injuries derailed his plans. He spent an entire year recovering from his double-shoulder surgery. The former champion is now fully ready to make his octagon return at UFC London.

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Blachowicz discussed how he dealt with his injuries, which led him to consider hanging up his gloves, saying:

''I had two surgeries on my shoulders...I didn't expect it was going to be so long and so tough. I've had a couple of surgeries in my life, but definitely this was the worst. I think then I'm not coming back. I was so close that I almost said, 'f**k it.' Finally, I wake up one day and I feel that it was ok...very close you know to make this decision [retirement], so say I cannot do it anymore, but I survived this bad time and back in shape again.''

Check out Jan Blachowicz's comments below:

After a long stint in the promotion, the 42-year-old faced Dominick Reyes for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 253 and secured a second-round knockout victory to become the undisputed champion, before losing it to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267.

---

Jan Blachowicz aims to be champion again

Jan Blachowicz is set to return in a light heavyweight bout against Carlos Ulberg in the co-main event of UFC London, which will take place on March 22 at O2 Arena in London.

In the aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Blachowicz laid out his future goals, which include challenging Magomed Ankalaev for the 205-pound belt in a rematch. He said:

''What’s going to happen? I’m going to have a title shot against Anakalaev. First of all, I only focused on Ulberg. But I’m going to beat him, then you can ask me what’s next. We have a story, unfinished business we have to finish. So, I’m only focused on my next fight. Yes, I will beat Ulberg and then take title shot against Ankalaev. I beat Ankalaev, and then rematch against [Alex Pereira]. I defend the belt against Pereira. This is the perfect scenario for me. Then I can go to the mountains again.”

Check out Jan Blachowicz's comments below: