WATCH: ‘Wrestling is Power’- Khabib Nurmagomedov Ecstatic At Jan Blachowicz Out-Wrestling Israel Adesanya at UFC 259
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WATCH: ‘Wrestling is Power’- Khabib Nurmagomedov Ecstatic At Jan Blachowicz Out-Wrestling Israel Adesanya at UFC 259
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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 06: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia looks across the Octagon at his opponent Conor McGregor of Ireland in their UFC lightweight championship bout during the UFC 229 event inside T-Mobile Arena on October 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 06: Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia looks across the Octagon at his opponent Conor McGregor of Ireland in their UFC lightweight championship bout during the UFC 229 event inside T-Mobile Arena on October 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Jan Blachowicz has established himself as a legitimate UFC Champion with his win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. While discounting the legitimacy of his title was always unfair, ending Israel Adesanya’s undefeated streak has gotten everyone to notice him.
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The fight between Jan and Izzy was closer than the score-cards let on. In the first three rounds, many would argue that Adesanya was up 2-1. However, Blachowicz used his wrestling expertly in the championship rounds to grind out a victory.
One man who was overjoyed to see Jan use wrestling to get the win was the UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib and Jan after his fight on Saturday 😂 (via @btsportufc) pic.twitter.com/9QrmGy72aU
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 12, 2021
Khabib was cage-side for most of the night, having cornered Islam Makhachev for his main card fight. However, Khabib caught up with Blachowicz backstage and shared a nice moment with him. He pointed out that Jan’s takedown won him the fight and then told the Polish striker that ‘wrestling is power’.
We have seen Khabib applaud the power of wrestling countless times. While everyone knew that Jan was a better wrestler than Izzy, many didn’t expect him to employ it. However, the size advantage was far too much for Jan to not use his wrestling down the stretch to clinch his first title defense.
Jan Blachowicz: Should he use his wrestling more often?
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: (R-L) Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Jan Blachowicz is certainly an adept wrestler. We have seen him fight out of mat situations before, as he is also a great submissions artist. However, he does make his bread and butter with his strikes. While he was struggling to make up the pace of striking against Adesanya, he responded with power.
READ MORE: HIGHLIGHTS: Jan Blachowicz Defeats Israel Adesanya in Close Five-Round Battle at UFC 259
It will be a little bit of a struggle for Blachowicz to develop an elite wrestling game. Adesanya is a thorough striker, so going to the mat with him wasn’t an issue. However, it would be an issue with someone like Glover Teixeira, who is deadly in that situation along with having a body frame that fits the division.
His wrestling is great as a weapon, but it shouldn’t be the primary focus of his offensive plans. Khabib is right about the power of wrestling, and it worked out for Jan against Adesanya.
