Blachowicz Calls Out Whittaker After Light Heavyweight Debut

Former UFC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has called out Robert Whittaker for a potential 205-pound showdown following Whittaker's successful divisional debut.

Blachowicz challenged Whittaker on social media to "turn your words into action," per BJ Penn, after the former middleweight champion stopped Nikita Krylov in the third round at UFC 329 last month. The callout comes as Whittaker considers his next assignment in a light heavyweight title push he has described as one final championship run before retirement.

Blachowicz Seeks Rebound After Five-Fight Skid

The Polish veteran is fresh off a knockout loss to Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade and has gone winless in his last five outings, including defeats to current champion Carlos Ulberg and former titleholder Alex Pereira. Whittaker barely cuts weight to make 205 pounds, opening the door for a quick turnaround later this year.

Before moving up, Whittaker dropped back-to-back middleweight contests to Reinier de Ridder and Khamzat Chimaev. The 35-year-old has beaten Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier, and Darren Till since losing the middleweight strap to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243.

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• BJPenn — Robert Whittaker called out by former UFC champ for heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight return