Jan Błachowicz Signs On For More at 43, Faces Unbeaten Navajo Stirling in Belgrade

At 43, Jan Błachowicz is the second-oldest fighter on the UFC roster — 13 days senior to Stephen Thompson — and he just re-upped anyway. The former light heavyweight champion signed a fresh contract in recent weeks, marked it with a wooden dip pen and an Instagram caption asking if he's crazy (his answer: yes), and now walks into Belgrade Arena on Saturday against unbeaten Navajo Stirling.

Błachowicz hasn't had his hand raised in four straight trips to the Octagon: draws against Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov bookending decision losses to Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg. Look closer, though. Three of those four men have held the belt — Ulberg is the reigning champ at 15-1 — and Błachowicz pushed both Pereira and Ulberg harder than anyone had at those points in their careers. This isn't a fighter falling apart. It's a fighter running into a murderer's row.

The Fight That Almost Wasn't

Saturday's bout was originally slated as a Guskov rematch, a do-over of the majority draw the two fought at UFC 323 last December. Then Khalil Rountree Jr. fell out of a headliner opposite Ankalaev, and Guskov (18-4-1, 15 KO) jumped the queue to fill it — losing by fifth-round stoppage last weekend in Abu Dhabi. Błachowicz was the UFC's first call for that slot but turned it down, believing he only had a week to make weight. A couple of hours later he realized he'd misread the calendar and actually had two. Too late. He signed to fight Guskov instead and, well, Guskov was already gone.

Enter Stirling, who raised his hand the moment the spot opened. The New Zealander is 10-0 and moving fast. After three decision wins in his rookie UFC year following a Contender Series contract, he's leveled up in 2026 with consecutive second-round stoppages of Bruno Lopes and Ion Cutelaba to crack the top 15. He's a rangy kickboxer roughly 15 years younger than the man across the cage — exactly the kind of hungry prospect a veteran either eats or gets eaten by.

Błachowicz isn't overthinking it. He said he'll make only small tweaks for Stirling since there's no time for big ones, and that he's fought this style before — including a training partner from Stirling's own gym. His pitch is simple: youth on one side, experience on the other. It's the same experience that carried him past Israel Adesanya at UFC 259, denying "The Last Stylebender" a second belt in Błachowicz's lone title defense.

There's a softer motivation running underneath all of it. Błachowicz talked about his son, who'd rather rewatch old fights than cartoons and has started his own martial arts path. The old man wants to prove that if he can still lace them up, the kid can chase whatever he wants too. But make no mistake about what Błachowicz wants Saturday. He said he needs this win — and he wants it without the judges. He's craving a finish before the clock runs out.