Former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz experienced a terrifying ordeal during his training ahead of his upcoming fight.
The UFC 323 pay-per-view event, scheduled for Saturday in Las Vegas, will showcase several prominent fighters leading up to two major title matches. This event marks the final numbered UFC Pay-Per-View on ESPN before the promotion transitions to Paramount+ in 2026.
The main card will feature three ex-champions: Brandon Moreno, Henry Cejudo, and Jan Blachowicz. Their appearances set the stage for bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his title against Petr Yan, as well as Joshua Bunn challenging flyweight champion Alexander Pantoja.
Less than four years ago, Jan Blachowicz faced a frightening incident behind the scenes during training.
Blachowicz, a former light heavyweight titleholder and a top contender in the division, is set to fight Bogdan Guskov at UFC 323. At 42, he aims to navigate fight week without incident, especially after missing fights earlier in 2022 due to injury.
Blachowicz had to pull out of UFC Columbus because of the injury and later shared the horror of temporarily losing sensation on one side of his body during training.
“I woke up one Monday with neck pain, thinking I might have slept badly,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting. “During practice, I took a shot and felt intense pain in my neck and numbness on the left side of my body, including my left hand. It was a completely numb feeling. I knew this wasn’t normal pain—it was much worse.”
Following an MRI, Blachowicz learned that a disc in his neck was pressing on a nerve, causing the numbness. “It was frightening—I couldn’t move my left hand. It was a strange, new, and scary sensation.”
Returning from a two-year injury break, Blachowicz lost a close decision to champion Carlos Ulberg at the London Games in March but remains determined to reclaim the light heavyweight title.
Before facing Ulberg, Blachowicz was the first opponent for Alex Pereira in the division. He gave Pereira one of his toughest fights and believed he deserved the win, but Pereira narrowly claimed victory by split decision.
By defeating Guskov at UFC 323, Blachowicz hopes to revive his quest for a rematch with Pereira, who recently began his second reign as light heavyweight champion.
Fan Take: Blachowicz’s resilience in overcoming a frightening injury and his continued pursuit of the title is inspiring for fight fans, highlighting the physical and mental toughness required at the highest levels of MMA. His journey adds depth to the light heavyweight division, promising exciting matchups and compelling storylines for the sport’s future.
