Jan Blachowicz Visualizing Alexander Gustafsson Approach, Will Try To Keep Fight Standing Vs. Glover Teixeira

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is set for his second title defense against the experienced Brazilian, Glover Teixeira in the UFC 267 headliner.

The pair will clash in the octagon this Saturday on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. This will be Blachowicz’s first title defense against a member of the 205-pound roster.

Discussing his game plan for Saturday’s main event, Blachowicz said that he will remain patient and will only pounce on his prey when the situation is appropriate. The 28-year-old is targeting a performance and finish similar to Alexander Gustafsson’s Stockholm display against Teixeira in 2017.

“You need to control this,” he said of himself. “When you hit him and he goes down, you need to calm down. ‘OK, it’s not the moment.’ OK if you hit him so hard (that) he’s almost finished, you need to go and finish. But you need to know when to do this.”

“Not the first because he can use this and win the fight like he do this with Thiago [Santos]. So I will not do this mistake. I’m going to finish him little bit later, like Gustafsson. He wait to knock him out (until) the third round. He wait, he wait, he wait for his good moment, and then he finish him. So I’m going to do the same like Gustafsson. Same way,” he added.

Blachowicz will be looking to extend his dominance in the division when he faces the in-form No. 1-ranked light heavyweight fighter Teixeira on October 30.

On the other hand, Teixeira will go into this fight on the back of an impressive five-fight win streak that includes victories over Ion Cuțelaba, Nikita Krylov, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos.

“The Brazilian Pitbull” has all that it takes to become a champion in the octagon. Blachowicz is fully aware of this fact and has acknowledged the 41-year-old’s experience and canniness that he brings along with him in the fight.

The Polish Powerhouse won the title at UFC 253 last September where he brutally knocked out Dominick Reyes in the second round and got the UFC gold wrapped around his waist.

Earlier this year, Blachowicz successfully defended his title against the middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya who was looking to become the fourth fighter in the UFC history to win the titles in two different classes. But the Polish fighter proved to be too strong for the “Last Stylebender” as he dominated all the rounds, taking Adesanya to the ground and securing a comfortable win on the scorecard.

“If fight goes to the ground, I’m gonna be ready for everything what he got for me, but I think so that even if he take me down,” Blachowicz said.