Jan Blachowicz hopes medicine and weeks of rehab will be enough to avoid surgery for cervical disc complications.
The Polish fighter was on a three-fight win streak before becoming the light heavyweight champion in 2020. He then successfully defended the title for the first time against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
He was then scheduled to defend the belt a second time against Glover Texiera. The 42-year-old Brazilian closed the main event early in round 2 by rear-naked choke, thus becoming the new light heavyweight champion.
It was a monumental moment for Teixeria, but Blachowicz was in a poor state of mind during the fight. Jan gave a vague explanation of why he had a “bad day” on the night of UFC 267 but claims he would have lost to anyone that night.
Though Blachowicz did not quit after the loss. A match on March 26 against #3 light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic was in the works for the former champion.
However, Blachowicz reports medical issues that will halt his 2022 comeback, according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani.
“I asked Jan Blachowicz how he was feeling recently. He told me he has ‘cervical spine discopathy,’ which, according to Spine-Health.com, is a ‘degenerative disc disease’ and a common cause of neck pain and radiating arm pain. It develops when one or more of the cushioning discs in the cervical spine starts to break down due to wear and tear. Cervical degenerative disc disease is diagnosed when a damaged disc in the spine becomes symptomatic,” Helwani wrote on his Substack.
No venue is set in stone for the March bout, but health issues will require a replacement for Jan.
Jan needs about 4-5 weeks of rehab and medicine to hopefully evade going into surgery.
What are your thoughts on Jan Blachowicz’s diagnosis?