Jan Blachowicz Wants Jon Jones but Expects to Meet Thiago Santos in First Title Defense

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With the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title in is possession, Jan Blachowicz can turn his focus to the future. On Nov. 7, Glover Teixeira and Thiago Santos will face-off in a bout that is likely to decide the first challenger to Polish powerhouse’s thrown. Blachowicz expects a rematch with a former foe in Santos to be his first booking as a defending champion. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t hold out hope to score a “best option” matchup with former champion Jon Jones.

“I think Thiago’s going to win this fight. But we’ll see. If UFC gives this fight to him for my first [title] defense I’m going to have an opportunity for a rematch. I’ve never lost a rematch, and this time will be the same. But we’ll see. If Glover takes him down it could be hard for Thiago. But in the stand-up, for sure [it favors] Thiago. But also, we’ve still got Jon Jones somewhere in my mind. For me Jon Jones would be the best option. I would like to beat him [and] show him legendary polish power. And also, we’ve got Israel Adesanya. He said he would like to fight at 205, so there’s a lot of options.”

In his conversation with Sherdog, Poland’s second UFC champion talked about his knockout win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 and his fast-growing fame as a new sports icon in his home country. The 37-year-old also mentioned his hopes to parlay his increased fame into a role in a Hollywood movie. Plus, he explained why he expects to end his career as a heavyweight.