If MMA is many things—being a highly demanding combat sport is one big aspect, so injuries are an inherent aspect of its existence. Lacerations and injuries are frequent occurrences in martial artists’ lives because they’re trained to use their bodies as weapons against their opponents. Even for a seasoned veteran like Jan Blachowicz—who is all set to make his grand return at UFC London this weekend—his shoulders and neck injury have been the most affected.
The Polish Juggernaut started his MMA journey at the age of nine, and now, he has established himself as one of the most recognized personalities in the UFC. Over his extensive career, Blachowicz has accumulated significant experience, including overcoming several serious injuries.
Jan Blachowicz’s Recent Double Shoulder Injury
Jan Blachowicz was originally scheduled to make his comeback in a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297, following his title eliminator loss to former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Unfortunately, a few days before the scheduled fight, Blachowicz revealed the dire conditions of his shoulders.
The pair had already fought as the headliner of UFC Vegas 54, where Aleksandar Rakic blew out his knee in the third round. But, as the rematch approached, Blachowicz plunged into shoulder injuries that ultimately compelled him from the anticipated contest.
The former light heavyweight champion later revealed that he suffered from shoulder injuries for a couple of years, and before fighting Rakic, it went to a level where he lost 40% strength from both of his shoulders.
In an interview with BJ Penn.com, Blachowicz revealed, “This is a long story, I feel it for like three years, something like this. I feel pain in my shoulders, but I accept the pain. Last three months, two months, I started losing my power, my strength. 40 percent goes, I tried and do something with physiotherapy, and doctors, and they tried to fix it, but every training was worse.”
After undergoing surgeries on both shoulders, Blachowicz posted a picture on ‘X’ of himself on a hospital bed with a beaming smile on his face. He announced that all the necessary medical procedures were successful, and soon, we would witness his “Legendary Polish Power” inside the Octagon once again.
First shoulder operated on. Unfortunately, there was too much work to do with one, so they couldn’t fix both at once. Another surgery soon. I’ll have to wait a little longer to come back.
I wish you all Merry Christmas! pic.twitter.com/RDIIxDSBgm
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) December 23, 2023
Jan Blachowicz is not alone when it comes to fighters who have suffered shoulder injuries. His fellow light heavyweight competitor Jiri Prochazka had to vacate his belt after injuring his shoulder following his championship win against Glover Teixeira at UFC 275. However, The Polish juggernaut had to face something worse that almost had half of his body paralyzed.
Jan Blachowicz’s Neck Injury That Left Him Feeling Paralyzed
Did you ever experience the fear of being half paralyzed? The mere thought of it is frightening! If you have, then the former UFC light heavyweight champion will relate to you, because he has gone through the same horrific experience.
It was again before he was scheduled to fight Alexander Rakic as the headliner of UFC Columbus in 2022. Blachowicz, as usual, was training for this high-profile bout, doing some drills as part of the fight preparation. After taking a shot at his guard, Blachowicz had a strong pain in his neck that progressively turned into a nightmare.
Blachowicz unveiled this dreadful experience to MMA Fighting, “I think maybe I just slept bad, and that’s why I felt the pain. In the gym, we did some drills, and I took one shot on my guard, and I felt a really hard pain in my neck, and I cannot feel my left hand and left side of my body. It was completely off, paralyzed. Then I think, it’s not a normal pain. It’s something worse. I go to the doctor, we do an MRI and I have something in my neck that puts pressure on the nerve. That’s why I had this feeling that I could not feel my left side.”
Following this terrifying incident, Blachowicz was injected with medicines combined with MRI inspections to relieve pressure from his spine. Now, as the Police are about to make his return after facing so many surgeries, do you think he would be as powerful against a dangerous Carlos Ulberg at UFC London? Or is Blachowicz’s performance bound to deteriorate, considering how old he is? Please let us know by dropping your thoughts below!
The post Jan Blachowicz Injuries: Ex-UFC Champ’s Shoulder Surgery and Other Setbacks appeared first on EssentiallySports.