UFC 253 results: Jan Blachowicz TKO’s Dominick Reyes to win 205-pound title

The UFC 253 co-main event saw the crowning of a new light heavyweight champion when the #3 ranked, Jan Blachowicz, stopped the #1 rated, Dominick Reyes, with strikes in the second round. Blachowicz was on tonight, landing hard combinations and never giving Reyes a chance to get ahead. The end came as Reyes got aggressive and started throwing more often in the second round, giving Blachowicz the openings he needed to land the fight-ending blows. This is the first-time since 2011 that somebody other than Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier has held the UFC light heavyweight belt. Naturally, Blachowicz called out Jones in his post-fight interview.

The bout got off to somewhat of a slow start, but Reyes scored first, landing a piston of a right hand that got the attention of Blachowicz. Then, it was Blachowicz who was throwing out more volume, even if he wasn’t landing a lot of his strikes. Blachowicz came out leading the dance in the second round, backing up Reyes with powerful combinations. Reyes wasn’t firing. He was defending and watching, allowing Blachowicz to dictate the pace. Then, things started heating up. Reyes started to throw more aggressively, giving Blachowicz the counter opportunities he was looking for. He rocked Reyes with a short left hand that sat him down, and after a couple of follow up blows Blachowicz was the UFC’s light heavyweight champion.

Jan Blachowicz def. Dominick Reyes by TKO at 4:36 of round 2: Light Heavyweight Title