UFC will be making its Czech Republic debut on February 23rd with UFC Prague and will have a banger of a main event between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos as officially announced by the UFC Friday afternoon.
Jan Blachowicz is currently the #4-ranked light heavyweight in the world and is on a four-fight winning streak. Three of the four bouts on that winning streak have resulted in bonuses for Blachowicz, beginning with a Performance of the Night after a second-round bulldog choke submission victory over Devin Clark. After defeating Jared Cannonier last December, he would then earn Fight of the Night in his decision victory over Jimi Manuwa in a war from March, where Blachowicz was able to avenge a loss to Manuwa from 2017. Most recently, Blachowicz defeated Nikita Krylov via an arm-triangle choke in the second round and took home Performance of the Night once again. With five rounds to work with and a dance partner who is no stranger to bonuses himself, there is a strong chance that Blachowicz will take home one bonus or another come February.
Thiago Santos has emerged as another ironman of the UFC, competing five times in 2018 and now getting right back to work with this February bout against Blachowicz. Santos went 4-1 in 2018, and took home three bonuses. Santos won Fight of the Night with Anthony Smith in February and against Eryk Anders in September. If not for the classic featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega in the UFC 231 main event, Santos may very well have won Fight of the Night in his bout against Jimi Manuwa as well, but instead he had to settle for Performance of the Night and a #7 ranking in his new division.
You can expect fireworks when these two clash in the main event of UFC Prague, where one of these two fighters will suffer a setback, and the winner should find himself within striking distance of a title shot.
Additionally, the UFC Prague has announced a heavyweight bout for the card between veteran Stefan Struve and Brazil’s Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
What are your thoughts on this UFC Prague main event between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos?
