Jan Blachowicz claims Jon Jones 'ran away' from fight by moving up to heavyweight: 'I was in my prime'

Former undisputed light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has claimed that fellow former division gold winner Jon Jones “ran away” from fighting him by moving up to heavyweight last year, claiming he was in his “prime” when the pair were on a collision course.

Blachowicz, a former undisputed light heavyweight title contender, is currently ranked fourth in the division, having remained on the sidelines since he competed for the title last July.

Coming off a unanimous decision loss to reigning 205-pound world champion Alex Pereira in Salt Lake City, Blachowicz recently underwent surgery for a shoulder injury, ruling him out of a UFC 297 rematch against Aleksandar Rakic, whom he defeated previous victory. above.

Having stated his desire to return to fight reigning champion Pereira as soon as he returns from injury, Polish veteran Blachowicz is hoping to claim the award for the second time during his tenure.

Having won the vacant title back in 2020 with a knockout win over Dominick Reyes, Blachowicz then successfully defended the title by becoming the first mixed martial artist to defeat former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

Jan Blachowicz claims Jon Jones 'avoided' fight with him

Blachowicz had previously been linked to a fight against Jones, most notably after a knockout in his rematch with Corey Anderson, but Blachowicz said the Rochester native “ran away” from the pairing due to his decision to make the jump to heavyweight.

“I'm competing at heavyweight now, so it's easy to move up to heavyweight,” Jan Blachowicz told Fanatics View reporter James Lynch during a recent interview. “I would like to see (Jon Jones) fight (Tom) Aspinall, (Alex) Pereira and myself. He ran to heavyweight because I was in my prime when he left. He knew that if he met me, he would lose. It was his best decision to move up to heavyweight.”

“He promised me this fight, so I hope so – maybe someday,” Jan Blachowicz explained. “Maybe somewhere in the gym; in the backyard.” (H/T MMA News)

As for Jones, the former pound-for-pound number one is expected to fight Stipe Miocic in his return later this year, but he also welcomed the opportunity to defend his heavyweight title against potential common foe Pereira in the future. .

Who would win a potential fight: Jon Jones or Jan Blachowicz?