Jan Blachowicz has chimed in on some of the criticism directed at Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan regarding their commentary during the UFC 259 main event.
Jan Blachowicz was able to hold on to his UFC light heavyweight championship at the end of his first title defense when he defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 259. The scorecards tell the story of a relatively one-sided fight, with the final totals coming in at 49-46, 49-45, 49-45. However, the tale told by the UFC color commentators was quite different in the opinion of many viewers. Both Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier were accused of biased commentary in favor of the challenger, Israel Adesanya. Cormier responded directly to this charge on Twitter last week.
“I just rewatched. I don’t agree at all. I was actually speaking to Jan and the times he was successful. I had fight 2-2 going into 5 and after watching it again I feel same way. Nothing changed. And btw Jan did bite on a ton of fakes and feints. Izzy didn’t capitalize,” Cormier wrote.
The former double-champ went on to state that he had the fight scored 2-2 heading into the final rounds, with Blachowicz earning the win in the fifth. Although the scorecards had Blachowicz easily winning, many people, including UFC President Dana White, believed the fight was much more competitive than the judges indicated. The UFC 259 color commentators agreed with that assessment after the scores were read but also stated that Blachowicz was the clear and rightful winner. Nonetheless, he and Rogan have still been accused of focusing squarely on Adesanya throughout the fight.
Jan Blachowicz Addresses Cormier’s Commentary During UFC 259 Main Event
The man of the hour himself was asked about the topic of Daniel Cormier’s commentary specifically, perhaps in part because he and Cormier have had some issues on the matter of respect in the past. Here is what the light heavyweight champ had to say on the subject.
“They don’t see me in this fight, they just see Israel,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting in an interview released Monday. “But I don’t know, I don’t care. Maybe they are friends and that’s why. What can I do? Nothing. But anyway, that was not a problem. It is true, I haven’t watched the fight yet.”
Blachowicz seems to be guilty of the common problem of drawing conclusions without viewing the actual evidence himself, or perhaps he is also drawing on past conclusions on Cormier’s respect level for him that he has already perceived to be on the low end. Either way, this entire subject is the least of Blachowicz worries because the commentary did not impact the fight’s outcome, which still has the champ beaming with joy.
“I don’t care. He do what he do, he has to live with that, not me,” Blachowicz said of Cormier. “I am just happy. I defend my belt. I am and still the champion. So everything good can happen right now. Nothing can change my happiness inside me. I don’t care.”
Do you think Daniel Cormier was guilty of having biased commentary in the UFC 259 main event between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya?
