UFC 323 star believed he was the reason why ‘afraid’ Jon Jones moved up to heavyweight

Jan Blachowicz thinks he scared Jon Jones out of the light heavyweight division.

After Jones narrowly beat Dominick Reyes in February 2020, he brought his last reign at 205 pounds to an end.

The Rochester native cited his desire to move up in pursuit of a second divisional UFC title as the reason behind his decision, and he began a lengthy period of preparation before debuting at heavyweight in 2023.

But one fighter set to return on the main card of UFC 323 this Saturday does not believe Jones was honest about why he exited the light heavyweight division over five years ago…

Jan Blachowicz believes his ‘legendary Polish power’ scared Jon Jones to heavyweight

Blachowicz will fight Bogdan Guskov at UFC 323, as the former champion looks to begin his path back to the top of the 205-pound weight class.

The veteran enjoyed a stint on the throne after knocking out Reyes to succeed Jones in 2020, but the 42-year-old was not happy to have been competing for a vacant belt against a fellow contender.

Blachowicz campaigned hard for a shot at Jones, even directly staking his claim to the American’s face after he watched on from cageside when the Polish star knocked out Corey Anderson.

When the bout did not come to fruition and Jones confirmed his heavyweight move, Blachowicz suggested during an appearance on Submission Radio that he was the reason Jones was moving up.

“You see what I did with Dominick,” Blachowicz said.

“He just escaped because he doesn’t want to lose against me. I understand that. He’s afraid and (so) he went to heavyweight.

“He just wants to escape from the legendary Polish power, that’s why he went to heavyweight. He’s afraid of the legendary Polish power,” he added.

Jon Jones is planning a UFC comeback in 2026

While Blachowicz looks to reinsert himself into the light heavyweight title picture with a strong performance at UFC 323, Jones is planning his return for 2026.

Jones wants to fight Alex Pereira, the current king at 205 pounds, at the planned UFC White House event on June 14. However, the UFC president continues to mark a sizable hurdle in the way of the GOAT contender’s plans.

Dana White has publicly rejected Jones’ comeback pleas, describing him as too unreliable for the celebratory card in Washington D.C.

White’s remarks have not stopped Jones from continuing to stake his claim for a spot on the card, having expressed interest ever since United States President Donald Trump announced plans for fights on the White House lawn earlier this year.