Jan Blachowicz – MILITAR MINDSET
Jan Blachowicz currently reigns as the best light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After entering the UFC with a record of 17-3, Blachowicz struggled to perform to the best of his abilities in his early years.
He struggled to win fights compiling a 2-4 (2 wins and 4 losses) record in his first 6 fights, he was close to being cut by the UFC.
He was given one more chance to perform with a fight in his home country, Poland, where he defeated Devin Clark via submission in the 2nd round.
From then, Blachowicz was able to turn his career around, going on an incredible run which saw him finally challenge for the belt in 2020.
At the age of 37, Blachowicz defeated Dominick Reyes via TKO in the 2nd round to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Blachowicz never stopped believing in himself. He never gave up, showing us that he has the MILITAR MINDSET!
How has Blachowicz displayed the MILITAR MINDSET?
Blachowicz has shown us just how strong his MINDSET is. Born in Cieszyn, Poland, Blachowicz was born to Stanislaw and Krystyna Blachowicz.
It was at the age of 9 where he was first introduced to martial arts. After seeing a Judo school, a young Blachowicz asked his mother if he could enrol in the classes, from here his passion for martial arts grew.
Blachowicz went on to compete in the Polish Muay Thai team, where he became a world amateur Muay Thai champion in 2008 in Korea.
Other than fighting, Blachowicz continued to further his education too, graduating with a degree in civil engineering! Blachowicz states ‘I never surrender. I never quit.’ Teaching us to never give up.
He doesn’t let negative thoughts sway him from his goals. If he wants to do something, he gives it his all. This is clear to see with his UFC career, seeing the adversity he has faced, but he never gave up.
Outside of fighting too, he was able to master the skill of civil engineering, showing us that he applies this mindset to everything he does.
Blachowicz always believes in himself, even when no one else does. Giving up would have been the easy option, but Blachowicz refused to quit on his dreams without giving it his all.
You must always have a positive mindset when chasing your own dreams. As long as you continue to believe in yourself and work hard towards your goals, all is achievable!
Blachowicz has INSPIRED us!
Blachowicz has been able to INSPIRE people with his championship journey. As we know, Blachowicz did not have a great start to his UFC career.
After winning his UFC debut, it was an up and down road for Blachowicz, going 2-4 in his first 6 fights. He was on the verge of being cut from the UFC, but luckily his manager and fiancée, Dorota Jurkowska, were able to convince the UFC to give him another chance.
He capitalised on the opportunity by winning his next fight. Blachowicz inspires us as he shows us to never give up, no matter how bad the circumstances are.
He was in a bad position regarding his future with the UFC, but he refused to give up on his dream and continued to believe in himself.
After defeating Dominick Reyes for the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2020, he became the 2nd ever Polish UFC champion. The 1st ever male UFC Polish champion.
He was welcomed home greatly by the Polish who celebrated upon his arrival home as the UFC champion. Blachowicz provided his home country with inspiration too, showing them that they can achieve their dreams.
Even though all the odds were against him, with it never being done before, he still worked hard and believed he could accomplish his dreams.
As shown in the blog header Blachowicz says ‘Believe in yourself and just go and do it.’ Reinforcing how we should have self-belief and act upon our goals.
Blachowicz didn’t care what people had to say, he blocked out their negativity and continued to work hard till his dreams were attainable.
When it comes to chasing your very own dreams, self-belief is key. You must believe that you are capable of achieving great things in order to do it. Stay focused, work hard and you will progress towards your goals.
Blachowicz is LIMITLESS!
Blachowicz has always aimed for the top, he is LIMITLESS! Ever since he began his martial arts journey at the age of 9, he has always wanted to reach the pinnacle.
After his Judo days as a young child, he transitioned over to Muay Thai, where he became a world amateur champion!
With little experience in MMA training, he transitioned to the sport as he aimed to make history, becoming the first male Polish UFC champion. Blachowicz has always aimed to be the best and nothing less.
He started of his MMA career in 2007, in a local organisation called KSW. He competed in tournaments in the light heavyweight division.
Blachowicz became the KSW light heavyweight champion as he won the tournament on 3 different occasions, 2007, 2008 and 2010!
Then he went on to sign with the UFC to compete with the best mixed martial artists in the world, as he aimed to turn a dream into a reality, becoming a UFC champion.
Blachowicz has previously said ‘I am the best in the world. I never stopped thinking about this.’ Reiterating the belief he has always had in himself. He has always kept his dream in mind of being the best and worked his way up till he achieved it.
Blachowicz visualised himself being the best, way before he actually was the best. This fuelled him to work harder and turn those visualisations into reality.
Your dream should always be big. Aim as high as possible. Though it may seem far away when you start, through continuous work and progression, you will be able to attain it.
Blachowicz is able to find his own INNER-PEACE
Blachowicz is now able to reach a state of INNER-PEACE. Having fulfilled his childhood dream, Blachowicz is also happier knowing that he finally was able to do it.
He tells us ‘I love this sport. This is something that I do all my life.’ Showing us how passionate he is about his career. He truly loves what he does, which enables him to live his best life, reaching a state of inner-peace.
Blachowicz also likes to spend time with his family outside of the octagon. He has recently just had a son with his fiancée, Dorota Jurkowska.
This provides Blachowicz with that extra motivation to perform at his best in the octagon, as he now has a son he must provide for too. Knowing that he has this new responsibility pushes him that step further to remain on top and retain his UFC light heavyweight belt.
Blachowicz is able to maintain a state of inner-peace by staying true to himself and pursuing things that he is passionate about. You must find what you want deep down to pursue your own inner-peace.
Blachowicz truly understands why TIME is important!
Blachowicz understands the value of TIME, being patient in his approach to chasing his dream. At the age of 38, Blachowicz is currently the oldest active champion in the UFC.
Though he didn’t have the greatest start to his UFC career, he stayed patient and strong, to finally win the belt. Ever since he started his martial arts journey at the age of 9, Blachowicz always dreamed of being the best in the world.
After having a successful career as an amateur Muay Thai fighter, Blachowicz transitioned into MMA. A key moment where Blachowicz really had to show patience and give things time, was after his first 6 fights in the UFC.
After initially winning his UFC debut, Blachowicz went on to compile a 2-4 record. He was struggling to compete with the top fighters in the UFC, with most of his fights going the full distance.
After losing to Patrick Cummins in 2017, Blachowicz was close to being shown the exit door. Blachowicz thought to himself, he could not let it end like this.
He tells us ‘All my life I dreamed that I wanted to be one of the best in the world.’ Ever since he was a child, it was his dream to be the best.
He knew that he couldn’t come all this way to only get close. Blachowicz re-evaluated everything and made a key change in his career.
Prior to signing to the UFC, Blachowicz left his original coach and team. He moved to a different gym thinking that he would need to focus on different elements of his game such as his wrestling if he was going to be able to compete with the best of the best.
This turned out to be a bad move for Blachowicz. He wasn’t performing to the best of his abilities in the octagon and his training was not going as smoothly and well as it used to.
It took Blachowicz time to realise that this was the wrong move for his career. Prior to his fight with Devin Clark, which was a must win fight, he moved back to his long-time coach and original team.
Blachowicz knew a loss in this fight would mark the end of his UFC tenure and dream. Blachowicz still believed in himself before the fight, stating he had ‘this fire’ inside of him to win.
Blachowicz defeated Devin Clark in the 2nd round via submission and saved his UFC dream. Blachowicz then went on to perform better and finally land that title shot which made him victorious and the new UFC light heavyweight champion!
Blachowicz was able to learn from the mistakes he made and find out what he needed to do to reach his goals. Over time, he learnt valuable knowledge which enabled him to go forth and fulfil his dreams.
When chasing your own dreams you must be patient. Give things time, as not everything will go to plan.
Mistakes will be made, but from them you will learn and become better. Just remember to keep on working and progressing, then you will finally get there one day!
Blachowicz is ACTIVE!
Blachowicz is ACTIVE! Since starting his martial arts journey at the age of 9, he has always been progressing towards his goals. From there he trained in Muay Thai, where he became a world amateur Muay Thai champion in 2008!
Blachowicz also actively continued his education, graduating as a civil engineer! It was at the age of 24 when Blachowicz would start his MMA journey.
In his early career, Blachowicz competed in tournaments which required him to fight multiple times on the same night. Some tournaments required him to fight 3 times in just one night!
To prepare for this, Blachowicz had to make sure he was in peak physical and mental condition. Having to prepare for one fight is tough, but Blachowicz had to be ready for numerous bouts on the same night.
Blachowicz had to make sure he trained hard and pushed himself beyond his perceived limits.
He would continue to progress up the ranks in KSW, as he became the light heavyweight champion in the organisation, also becoming a 3-time light heavyweight tournament winner.
After winning the KSW light heavyweight belt in 2011 against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Blachowicz went on to defend his belt twice.
It was after these title defences that Blachowicz finally got the call up to the UFC, defeating Ilir Latifi in his UFC debut in Sweden.
As Blachowicz has progressed up the UFC ranks, he now aims to fight around 2/3 times a year. This allows him to rest up and have full training camps to prepare for his opponents as he faces the best mixed martial artists in the world.
Blachowicz Tells us ‘Step by step finally I got the chance.’ Showing us that it was a gradual progression to get to the top.
Blachowicz continued to work hard and took each step as it came to reach his ultimate goal of becoming a UFC champion. He made sure that he capitalised on his opportunities by preparing himself as best as he could, performing to his peak.
He never stopped training and continues to stay active to chase his goals. Make sure that you stay active and are continuously working towards your own goals.
By taking the correct steps and progressing towards your smaller goals, you will one day be able to reach your ultimate dream.
Blachowicz has proven to us that he is RELENTLESS!
Blachowicz is RELENTLESS! After his rocky start in the UFC, no one ever thought that Blachowicz would go on to become the UFC champion.
Even in his last few fights, he has been the underdog, but still continues to prove the doubters wrong. Defeating the likes of Dominick Reyes and the current UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya.
Blachowicz is relentless in his approach to becoming the best and is ready to prove it once he steps foot into the octagon.
He has previously said ‘This is a dream come true. I want to show fans all over the world the legendary Polish power.’ Showing us how he was able to achieve his dreams by believing in himself and continuing to work hard.
He now aims to continue his great run of form by putting on great performances and providing entertainment for the fans by finishing his opponents with his ‘legendary Polish power’!
Blachowicz now aims to cement himself as one of the best to do it in the UFC history books. Even at the age of 38, he shows that he is in his prime and ready for any challenge ahead of him.
Chasing your dreams will not be easy. It will be hard, but you must keep pushing and be relentless. Through the ups and downs you face, one day it will all pay off!
Jan Blachowicz is currently one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. His ability to overcome the adversity he faced to achieve greatness is something that we can all learn from. Though the odds were against him, he never gave up on his dreams.
Make sure to follow our Instagram page to keep up to date with the latest news on our clothing items and for frequent motivational posts.
I have shown how Jan Blachowicz has implemented Militar values throughout his life. Make sure you subscribe to our blog to find out how other people you look up to have! Next up is…
