Former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz kicked off the UFC 323 main card, taking on upstart Bogdan Guskov.
Blachowicz, 42, was the “old man” in the fight, taking on the comparatively youthful 33-year old Guskov. Poland’s Blachowicz was still ranked #5 in the weight class to start the night, with Guskov just outside the top 10 of the division at #11.
Guskov worked his right hand early, the more mobile of the two light heavyweights. Blachowicz snapped out a kick, and took a more reserved approach compared to Guskov, whose movement had him all over the place. An outside leg kick landed for Blachowicz, connecting with authority. Guskov would connect with one of his own, notably with far less behind it. A Guskov punch sent Blachowicz backpedaling however.
Not to be outdone, Blachowicz sent Gustkov reeling off a left hand of his own. In the final minute, a little two-punch combo, right-left, sent Guskov retreating again. He would bounce back, however, firing off a combination of his own; Blachowicz would add another leg kick prior to the horn.
In round two, Blachowicz continued to work the leg kicks, but inside of a minute, Bogdan Guskov landed, knocking the former champ down! Guskov got on top, dropping ground n’ pound as Blachowicz covered up. Jan survived the onslaught, and went after a heel hook. He’d readjust and give it a go, but Guskov escaped and backed up before getting back on top. From there, Blachowicz closed his guard, and Guskov landed several hard elbows. Blachowicz was cut open, bloodied, but still he wasn’t putting much effort into escaping, instead looking to run down the clock.
At that, Jan Blachowicz would succeed. Still, while he might have won the first frame, Guskov claimed the second with far more authority, the momentum clearly going in his direction. Round three opened with Guskov landing a right hand, still in the driver’s seat despite the damage that had piled up on his lead leg. A right hand landed for Guskov, and another. A jab trailed it. Jan would land a left, but Guskov was putting more punches together. After the lopsided second round, Blachowicz managed to make the third a fair bit closer. And right at the end, Blachowicz would turn up the heat, dropping Guskov off a right! He got back up, eating a few more shots before the horn, leaving the fight in the hands of the judges.
They were split – sort of. While one judge sided with Jan Blachowicz, the other two gave Bogdan Guskov a 10-8 in round two. That left the fight a majority draw, though it was far from a bad scorecard.
Official Results: Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov ends in majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
