Jan Blachowicz targets Jon Jones or Thiago Santos for next fight – but also open to Israel Adesanya

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Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC Before UFC 253, Jan Blachowicz didn’t want to talk about Jon Jones. He had a light heavyweight title to win against Dominick Reyes.
With that belt now securely around his waist, Blachowicz is ready to start talking about Jones. In fact, he started talking just seconds after stopping Reyes in the second round of their co-headliner on Saturday.

"Jon Jones, where are you?"

New light heavyweight king @JanBlachowicz calls out the former king after his #UFC253 coronation pic.twitter.com/PhzH99J2Nl
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 27, 2020​

“Now, I don’t have an opponent,” Blachowicz explained afterward to reporters, including MMA Fighting, at the post-fight press conference for UFC 253. “So Jon Jones, why not?
“Nobody knows what he’s doing right now. Why not? He promised me this fight after Albuquerque when I knocked out Corey Anderson.”
Indeed, Jones outstretched his arms like the Night King in Game of Thrones and welcomed a title defense against Blachowicz after the Polish fighter’s win in February. That was before Jones started musing about a trip up to heavyweight – and a payday befitting a fight with knockout artist Francis Ngannou.
Now, Jones is no longer the light heavyweight champ, and he’s indicated he’s going for heavyweight gold. But then again, he also might just stay in his old division for a bit longer.
Just moments after Blachowicz blasted Reyes, Jones, who provided a running play-by-play on the title fight, complimented the new champ and later mused aloud about putting his plans on pause.

Would you guys be annoyed if I went back and grabbed my belt real quick?
— BONY (@JonnyBones) September 27, 2020​

If that’s nothing more than a passing fancy, Blachowicz does have other options in mind. A rematch with Thiago Santos, who knocked him out to win a shot at then-champ Jones, would be a good consolation.
Santos is expected to meet fellow one-time title challenger Glover Teixeira on Nov. 7 in a fight that’s been twice rescheduled due to positive COVID-19 tests from both fighters.
If Blachowicz winds up defending his title against Santos, all he can say about the fight is that he predicts it will have a different ending.
“If he wins his fight against Teixeira, that would be really good,” Blachowicz said.
According to UFC President Dana White, the winner of the Santos vs. Teixeira fight will face Blachowicz for the title. Unless, of course, Jones returns to 205 pounds.
“You guys know as much as I know about Jon Jones, but yeah, I like that [Blachowicz] wants to fight Jon,” White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “He could have called out whoever the next contender is. The fact that these guys respect Jones enough, and the fact that they want to be the guy who beats the guy, I love it.”
And in case there weren’t enough options to consider, Blachowicz is also open to meeting middleweight champ Israel Adesanya in a superfight. Adesanya talked a lot about fighting Jones, so the idea of him fighting at 205 pounds isn’t far-fetched.
“Yeah, he said that before,” Blachowicz said. “See, you’ve got another one. Why not? We can try to do it. I’m open. But give me two weeks break, OK?”
With a new title and a new baby on the way, Blachowicz’s next order of business is his family. The next few months will determine what course of action he takes next.


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