Nobody ever became a number one contender off of an injury - Chael Sonnen argues whether Jan Blachowicz should get title shot
Chael Sonnen questioned Jan Blachowicz's claim to number one contender status owing to the nature of his win over Aleksandar Rakic. The Pole bagged a TKO win after Rakic tore his ACL mid-fight during their main event clash at UFC Vegas 54.
According to Sonnen, no one has ever become a title contender with a win based off an injury. However, the former UFC fighter is confident that Rakic would've become the number one contender with a win over Blachowicz. The 45-year-old recently said in a video posted to his YouTube channel:
"I do think if Rakic would have won, regardless of what happens in Glover's fight with Prochazka, I think Rakic would have been the number one contender. I'm just bringing this up. Perhaps it's Blachowicz. But I don't know of a time in history that somebody became a number one contender off of an injury. It may have happened but I don't know of one. Not to mention, an injury that won you a fight in a fight that you were losing. I don't know if that's relevant."
Watch Sonnen discuss the Blachowicz vs. Rakic bout below:
Both Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic needed surgeries after their bout
The clash between Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic looked promising before it was met with an unfortunate ending.
Blachowicz seemingly edged out the first round, landing some decent leg kicks. Rakic bounced back in the second, outstriking Blachowicz as he gradually picked up his volume. Unfortunately, his ACL popped in the third round, prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.
'Rocket' later underwent an MRI, confirming a torn ACL. The 30-year-old called for a rematch against Blachowicz, urging the former champion to wait for his recovery. He wrote on Instagram:
“One thing I promise you, I will be back better than ever! This is not over yet. Unfinished business. Rematch! I waited for you to heal. Now you wait for me to heal. Let’s run it back!!!”
However, Rakic wasn't the only one in need of medical attention. Jan Blachowicz had to go under the surgeon's scalpel to treat a cut under his left eye, courtesy of a right hand from Rakic. The former light-heavyweight champion said on his Instagram Stories:
"So we did a small surgery, they fixed my eye. They put something inside for six weeks. Some kind of tube. So after six weeks, I need to take it out. That's it. I still feel the drugs they gave to me and I enjoy it very much."
Jan Blachowicz fixed his eye and rides the high https://t.co/mSAHADXn2u