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#5 Ronaldo Jacare Souza vs. Jan Blachowicz (Light Heavyweight)
Ronaldo Jacare Souza was back for the first time since April this year for his debut in the Light Heavyweight division.
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Jan Blachowicz was all too familiar with welcoming Middleweights to the 205 lbs weight class as he finished Luke Rockhold in his last fight in July.
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Round 1: Jacare showed a lot of head movement before he shot for the takedown within 30 seconds.
Blachowicz defended it well and was pushed back towards the cage. The Polish fighter got in the under hooks and attempted to turn Jacare over. The Brazilian, however, used his strength and even attempted a classic foot sweep.
Blachowicz created an opening and got out of the clinch. Back in the center, Jan went for the outside leg kick. Souza kept his guard up and absorbed a head kick. He went for another takedown but settled for the clinch.
Blachowicz laned short punches and elbows as Souza tried to get into a position for a possible takedown.
Round 2: They exchanged kicks as the second round began.
Blachowicz tagged Souza with a clean right. Souza attacked Jan's leg with a solid kick. The Polish fighter connected with a 1-2.
Souza changed levels and shot for the double leg, however, Jan's takedown defense was on point.
They clinched again for a few minutes with Jacare landing a few knees while Jan came back with the short punches.
They broke free and were back in the center of the Octagon. Blachowicz was careful as he came in and found success with the jabs. Souza peppered Blachowicz's left leg with hard kicks. He landed a clean right that pushed Blachowicz back. 10-9 Souza
Round 3: Blachowicz stayed on the outside and used his reach to stick the jabs. He went low with the calf kick.
Souza cut the distance with a wild overhand right and got in the body lock. Jan had his back against the cage but still landed a few knees in the clinch.
They came back to the center of the cage. Both men were extremely calculated and gave each other tons of unwanted respect.
Souza made inroads again and clinched with Blachowicz, who got in the double under hooks. They broke up again and the crowd was now getting restless. Jacare landed a good right while Jan replied with a combination to end the round. 10-9 Souza
Round 4: Blachowicz needed to be more aggressive if he intended to get the better of Souza, however, he couldn't shake off the hesitation.
The volume of strikes was minimal with three minutes left to go. They clinched again and exchanged knees. Souza tried to sweep Jan off his feet.
The fans in attendance put up their phone flashlights as the fight just wasn't taking off. Blachowicz landed a good body kick. He then went high for a head kick but hit Jacare's guard. Blachowicz pressed forward in the closing stages of the round. 10-9 Blachowicz
Round 5: Blachowicz's left leg was swollen as a result of Jacare's kicks. Jan shifted stances and landed the jabs. He lifted his injured left leg for a head kick.
Jacare shot for the takedown but Jan defended it well again. Blachowicz tried to put together a few combinations after a brief clinch.
Jan had defended all of the five attempted takedowns and had over 100 strikes to his name in the fight. The Polish Light Heavyweight scored a knockdown with a quick uppercut but Jacare recovered and continued to move around inside the Octagon.
Blachowicz continued to jab and connect with the kicks to Souza's right leg.
Result: Jan Blachowicz def. Ronaldo Jacare Souza via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
No disrespect to either competitor, but that was a stinker. Blachowicz did enough to get the win here and he wants the winner of Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes. However, should he get the title shot based on this performance? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
