UFC Sao Paulo live blog: Jan Blachowicz vs. Ronaldo Souza

This is the UFC Sao Paulo live blog for Jan Blachowicz vs. Ronaldo Souza, the light heavyweight headliner for Saturday’s fight card at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Souza fights after an April loss to Jack Hermansson. The longtime middleweight contender has bounced between wins and losses in his previous six outings. Blachowicz most recently fought in July, when he knocked out former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold in emphatic fashion.

Check out the UFC Sao Paulo live blog below.

Round 1: It didn’t take long for “Jacare” to swoop inside and look for the takedown as Blachowicz was quick to defend against the cage. Blachowicz was able to stand Souza back up again after he was deep on the legs initially. “Jacare” continued to press the action against the cage but Blachowicz was doing a good job defending the takedown attempts. Blachowicz finally broke free of Souza’s grasp before resetting in the center of the Octagon. Following a head kick attempt from Blachowicz, “Jacare” was quick to once again get inside to hold onto the clinch to avoid the standing exchanges. Blachowicz was still able to stave off any takedown attempts but outside of a few short punches, he didn’t really get to do much damage in return.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Round 2: Blachowicz got a little more aggressive in the second round as he took the center of the Octagon and started headhunting with punches and then firing off a few leg kicks as well. Blachowicz also established a stiff jab that snapped Souza’s head back a couple of times in succession. “Jacare” again looked for the takedown but Blachowicz fought him off before the fighters ended up in the same clinch position against the cage. Blachowicz was eventually able to circle away as he looked to establish his combinations from the outside. Blachowicz did manage a nice left-right combo that backed “Jacare” up but the Brazilian fired back with a hard shot that was probably his best punch of the fight so far.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Jan Blachowicz

Round 3: Blachowicz got a little busier to start the third round including a nice double jab that continued to pepper away at “Jacare”. As busy as Blachowicz was during those first few exchanges, “Jacare” slowed him down by pressuring forward to latch onto the clinch position yet again. Souza seemed content to stay in the clinch but Blachowicz was able to slip free before resetting in the center of the cage. Blachowicz was tentative with his strikes to avoid giving up an opening for the takedown but “Jacare” eventually found his way inside. This time, Blachowicz popped him with a solid uppercut as he came forward and then separating to get back to the center of the Octagon.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza

Round 4: Blachowicz connected with a couple of solid punches with “Jacare” diving in for another takedown attempt. Blachowicz and Souza traded short punches and knees while locked in the clinch, which is where so much of this fight has taken place. Blachowicz fired off a nice body kick while pushing forward with “Jacare” backing up for the first time all fight. Despite keeping Souza on his back foot, Blachowicz was still hesitant to unleash any real power behind his combinations. Blachowicz threw another solid body kick as the crowd showered the fighters with a chorus of boos.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Jan Blachowicz.

Round 5: “Jacare” got deep on a takedown to start the fifth and final round but Blachowicz was quick to stand him up again as the fighters were stuck in the clinch afterwards. When the fighters finally separated, Blachowicz connected with a couple of good combinations before “Jacare” dropping down for yet another takedown attempt. Blachowicz staved off the grappling attempt before referee Kevin McDonald separated the fighters and restarted in the center of the cage. Another takedown attempt from the Brazilian resulted in Blachowicz unleashing another uppercut that seemingly wobbled “Jacare” for a moment as he fell to the ground before quickly getting back up to the feet. Blachowicz started throwing more kicks from the outside in the final 30 seconds with “Jacare” just standing flat footed while circling away from his opponent’s power hand. The final horn sounds as both fighters put their hands in the air to declare victory.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Jan Blachowicz

MMA Fighting scores the fight 48-47 for Jan Blachowicz

Official result: Jan Blachowicz def. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)