Dominick Reyes picked up a rib injury against Jan Blachowicz (Twitter)
UFC 253 saw Jan Blachowicz become the new Light Heavyweight champion but his devastating kicks left Dominick Reyes with a gruesome-looking injury
Polish power won the day at UFC 253 with Jan Blachowicz coming up on top of Dominick Reyes.
Blachowicz and Reyes were fighting for the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight title, and it was more or less a one-man show.
Reyes didn’t get much done in the clash, despite being the closest to defeating Jon Jones in recent years.
Blachowicz, for his part, came into this fight with more experience under his belt, and the 37-year-old also executed his game plan to perfection.
The Polish star used a ton of his power kicks to target Reyes. Some of those handed on Reyes’ right and the decision not to block or check this was there for all to see.
Reyes’ right ribs were lit up like a traffic light and it seemed like a target for Blachowicz. It was a miracle that Reyes didn’t wince or collapse when the kicks were being put and he soldiered on.
Things didn’t work out for Reyes in the end as he was dropped by Blachowicz in the second round. The commentators suggested that Reyes also had a broken nose from one of Blachowicz’s punches, and the Pole was extremely pleased with winning the belt.
Blachowicz won his last three fights coming into the clash and had only one loss since 2017. However, the Pole called out Jon Jones after the fight as he wanted to face off against Bones.
Jones had stated that he wanted to fight Blachowicz after the Pole destroyed Corey Anderson.
That might seem unlikely given that Jones has gone off to the Heavyweight division. However, this is Blachowicz’s time to shine.
The Pole now has an MMA record of 27 wins and eight losses. And it will be interesting to see what is next for him.
As for Reyes, he needs to take some time off and recuperate from his injuries. The 30-year-old didn’t seem to have the right game plan, but he still is young and should get another title shot in the future.
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