MMA is often touted as a young man’s sport and rightfully so! When your daily work at the office is to punch another trained athlete in the face, you would want father time in your corner. However, that is not the case with former UFC 205lbs kingpin Jan Blachowicz. At 42 years old, the Polish juggernaut is still going strong as he makes his way back after a long layoff this weekend at UFC London. But before his fight against Carlos Ulberg at the O2 Arena, let’s take a deeper dive into Blachowicz’s ethnic roots and background.
The light heavyweight fighter has quickly risen to fame and enjoys a massive fan following on social media. After overcoming hurdles in his early UFC career and proving all his doubters wrong, he thrived as a fighter and won the light heavyweight belt at UFC 253. But did you know that he’s the second UFC champion from his country? Here’s what we know!
Is Jan Blachowicz Polish? Ethnicity and nationality
Standing at 6’ 2’’ tall, Jan Blachowicz hails from Cieszyn, Poland, and was born to Polish parents, and as such, he’s got Polish citizenship. Besides, the 42-year-old is the first male Polish UFC champion, and, as mentioned already, the second Polish UFC champion, after Joanna Jedrzejczyk – the former UFC strawweight champion.
If we take a deeper look at his ethnic background, he could belong to any one of these communities -Poles, Czechs, Germans, and Silesians- Cieszyn is mostly dominated by Poles and Czechs. Meanwhile, born on 24th February 1983, Blachowicz always had a keen interest in martial arts, and it was some classic action movies that inspired him to become a fighter.
MMA: UFC-New Mexico, Feb 15, 2020 Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA Corey Anderson red fights Jan Blachowicz blue in the light heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Santa Ana Star Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports, 15.02.2020 20:02:52, 14050168, UFC Fight Night, Corey Anderson, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 14050168
As a result, the former 205lbs champ started training in judo from a young age. He then made his MMA debut in 2007 and since then, there’s been no turning back. While we’ve established his roots, let’s take a look at the details of his faith.
Is Jan Blachowicz Jewish? Which religion does he follow?
The UFC is a pretty open platform, where Dana White allows his fighters to be their authentic self, calling it free speech. However, certain fighters prefer to stay silent, including Jan Blachowicz, who never discussed his religious beliefs in public. However, in the wake of featherweight star Bryce Mitchell‘s controversial comments regarding Hitler, Blachowicz revealed a bit about his religion. Moreover, he also schooled the verbose 145fer about his heritage and the atrocities suffered by his people under the Nazi regime.
The former light heavyweight champion comes from a Jewish family, although he hasn’t confirmed if he also follows the religion of his ancestors. From his religion, let’s go to another aspect of Jan Blachowicz, which is his name. Multiple UFC personalities cannot say his name correctly. So, let’s uncover the real pronunciation of the Polish star’s name.
How to pronounce Jan Błachowicz?
Given how diverse the UFC roster is, it’s not unnatural to make mistakes while pronouncing a fighter’s name. As we’ve mentioned, Jan Blachowicz is not a stranger to this. For example, UFC legend Chael Sonnen still cannot grasp the correct pronunciation. He calls him “Blohovovic.” Well, for the unversed, the former UFC champion’s name’s pronunciation is different; Jan Blachowicz is pronounced as ‘Yan Blah-oh-veech’.
Surely, people have started to call his name properly as, over the years, he’s established himself as one of the top fighters in promotional history. When he locks horns with Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night 255 in London, the Pole will look to bounce back from his UFC 291 defeat to Alex Pereira.
With limited time on his side, Blachowicz will have to make use of all the opportunities he gets from here on if he wants to make way for a second 205-pound title reign. Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post Where Is Jan Blachowicz From? Ethnicity, Religion, and More About the UFC Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
