At 43 years old, Jan Blachowicz entered the Octagon aiming to secure a statement victory over a promising young talent in the co-main event at UFC Belgrade. However, the former light heavyweight champion’s outing turned into another painfully disappointing experience tonight. Surging contender Navajo Stirling managed to knock out the Polish MMA veteran in the first round, prompting calls from fans for Błachowicz’s retirement.

Błachowicz started the bout by showing glimpses of his old self. He immediately took control of the center of the Octagon, signaling that Stirling would have to meet him in the middle and engage in a firefight. For a moment, that strategy appeared to work as the former champion rocked the Kiwi with a well-timed combination. However, from that point on, it was all Navajo Stirling, who showed exactly why he is quickly becoming the division’s newest problem.

Stirling’s relentless pressure backed Blachowicz against the cage, where the Kiwi unleashed a series of damaging leg kicks. Although the 28-year-old was bleeding from the nose, he never took his foot off the gas and continued tagging the veteran with looping shots with both hands. One of those strikes, a right hand, dropped Blachowicz to the canvas. The undefeated fighter quickly pounced on the former 205-pound champion and unleashed heavy ground-and-pound, opening a cut on the Polish fighter. Moments later, the referee stepped in to stop the onslaught, handing the New Zealander the biggest victory of his career so far.

For Blachowicz, the UFC Belgrade defeat may have been more painful than the other losses in his recent run. He entered the bout against Navajo Stirling as a former champion and one of the sport’s most seasoned veterans. But he ended up suffering a rare knockout defeat, his first since Thiago Santos finished him at UFC Fight Night 145 in 2019. 

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Plus, this loss will likely be mentally taxing for ‘The Legendary Polish Power,’ considering his last victory came in 2022 against Aleksandar Rakić. After that, a serious shoulder injury, followed by multiple fight cancellations, plagued his career.

Following the devastating defeat, many fans believed it was time for Jan Błachowicz to hang up the gloves.

Fans call for Jan Błachowicz to retire after loss to Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade 

One fan commented, “Jan Blachowicz needs to hang it up #UFCBelgrade.” After that, a different fan echoed the same sentiment, writing, “Jan Gotta take the way to retirement truly old for this division.” Followed by another user commenting, “Jan Blachowicz it’s time #UFCBelgrade.”

Another fan appeared completely heartbroken watching one of his favorite fighters suffer such a devastating defeat, writing, “Jan, it’s done, bro. Don’t extend this. Keep the spirit for another life if there be a need, which I doubt, n enjoy retirement. If u want, Dana will send u food from his home.”

To be honest, retirement is a decision fighters make only when they are convinced their journey in MMA has reached its end. Recently, fans urged Israel Adesanya to retire from the UFC following his fourth consecutive defeat against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle, who was ranked well below him. Yet, the former two-time champion has left City Kickboxing in search of a new coaching team in hopes of making another comeback.

With that in mind, it remains difficult to determine whether Jan Blachowicz is contemplating retirement. But, as fans await his first response following the defeat, one supporter simply hopes he avoids taking any further damage and decides to hang up his gloves.

“I don’t want to see Jan Blachowicz keep taking more damage. I hope he doesn’t fight again after today.”

Following the wave of reactions calling for Jan Blachowicz to retire after his UFC Belgrade loss, many fans also praised Navajo Stirling for his stellar performance, contrasting his breakout victory with an aging former champion.

One fan praised the Kiwi, writing, “Navajo Stirling with the nasty first-round finish and a new contender emerges at light heavyweight (which is desperately needed). Jan Blachowicz is a legend, but it might be time if you know what I mean.”

Then another fan wrote, “Navajo Stirling just TKO’d Jan Blachowicz in the 1st round. Classic straight punch beat looping punch. Jan hasn’t been knocked out since 2019, but he’s way past his prime.”  

The fans’ reaction might appear harsh, but it’s hard to deny that Jan Blachowicz is currently on a significant decline in his UFC career. At 42 years old, he also does not have much time left in the sport, making retirement seem less like a possibility and more like an inevitable step that is only a matter of time. So, it will be interesting to see what his first response to the defeat will be.