Jan Blachowicz Defeats Jacare Souza at UFC Fight Night 164 via Split Decision

Jan Blachowicz defeated Ronaldo Jacare Souza via split decision at UFC Fight Night 164.

It was a pretty dull fight at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paolo, with Souza continually pushing forward and looking for a chance to take Blachowicz down, but without any success.

Meanwhile, the Pole was patient, collecting points by using every chance to strike, and although we haven’t seen any hard punches, it was enough for him to post another victory.

“I feel great I won the fight,” Blachowicz said. “That’s great for me.”

Jacare (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) was slightly more aggressive in the opening round, pushing Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) on the fence, and trying to bring him down on canvas. The Pole defended well, avoiding potential takedowns, and keeping the Brazilian on a safe distance. From time to time, once the two stood in the center of the octagon, Blachowicz tried to break Jacare’s stance with high kicks, but that didn’t bring any results.

Jan Blachowicz def. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to win the #UFCSP main event! #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/JEeY8ZRoXO

— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) November 17, 2019

The second round started much faster, with both guys throwing strikes at one another. As time went by, the Brazilian again returned to his tactics, pressuring Blachowicz on the fence trying to lure him into some grappling. With the round nearing to its end, Souza was attempting to get something going, yet all he provided was one solid punch.

Nothing changed in the monotonous third round, with Souza applying the pressure, but without results, as Blachowicz managed to defend very well each time the rival came at him. Jacare sent a few good jabs, but he instantly received an equal answer from the other side.

Blachowicz’s left foot was swollen from the middle of the third, and Jacare wanted to exploit that by stepping on it, and forcing a takedown. Yet again, he was unsuccessful, and the fourth round went to Jan, who hit Souza a few times gaining and advantage on the scorecards.

“My feet always look like this,” Blachowicz explained that laughing.

https://twitter.com/jedigoodman/status/1195912447334313986

With 1:30 left in the final, Jacare desperately went for a takedown, and Blachowicz intercepted him with an uppercut, quickly turning the defense into attack, connecting a few times with the opponent’s head. That was pretty much all from this fight, which we can say, disappointed the fans.

Blachowicz won for the sixth time over the latest seven contests. He is now in the serious hunt for the title fight, and after this victory, we might see him challenging Jon Jones pretty soon.

“I want someone from the top,” Blachowicz said. “Maybe a title shot. Why not? Jon (Jones), let’s do this. Give me the title shot because I don’t have the time, maybe three more years. Now or never.”

For Jacare, this was the last chance to get into the top of the UFC. With four losses over the past six matches, it appears that the veteran Brazilian missed all his opportunities for another title shot. He moved up to 205 pounds, searching for a way to revive his career, but without any success.