Jan Blachowicz shows off nasty cut in first statement after UFC Belgrade knockout loss

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz suffered a brutal knockout loss to Navajo Stirling in the co-main event of UFC Belgrade on Saturday, and the Polish fighter wasted no time documenting the damage.

Stirling, a surging 205-pound contender, knocked Blachowicz across the octagon before landing devastating ground and pound that split open the veteran's face, prompting the referee to stop the fight. The stoppage marked one of the biggest wins of Stirling's young career. On Sunday, Blachowicz posted photos showing the before-and-after of the nasty cut sustained in the loss, along with his first public statement addressing the defeat.

The loss continues a difficult stretch for the 43-year-old Blachowicz, who hasn't recorded a victory in over four years. His last win came via third-round TKO over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 54 in May 2022. Since then, he has fought to draws with both Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov, while suffering decision losses to Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg.

Blachowicz captured the 205-pound title with a knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 in September 2020 and successfully defended it against Israel Adesanya six months later at UFC 259. However, he lost the belt to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October 2021, and has struggled to regain momentum in the competitive light heavyweight division since then.