The former UFC light heavyweight champion faced surging contender Navajo Stirling in the co-main event of UFC Belgrade. Stirling eventually knocked Blachowicz across the octagon with a knockdown before splitting open Blachowicz with nasty ground and pound to lead to the stoppage, and the biggest win of his young career.

On Sunday, Blachowicz showed off the before and after of the cut from the loss, along with his first statement reacting to the defeat.

Blachowicz hasn't won a fight in over four years — a third-round TKO victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 54 in May 2022. Since. then, Blachowciz fought Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov to draws, while also losing decisions to Alex Pereira and Carlos Ulberg. The 43-year-old captured the 205-pound belt with a knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 in September 2020, then went on to defend it successfully against Israel Adesanya six months later at UFC 259.

He went on to lose the title to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267 in October 2021.

During a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Paul made his case to NFL veterans Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder that he could easily make the transition to pro football at the age of 29 if he wanted to. Paul emerged as a popular influencer in the 2010s before turning his attention the world of boxing, where he has put together several high-profile events under his Most Valuable Promotions banner, including headlining fights against boxing legends Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua, and MMA stars Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and Tyron Woodley.

Paul boasted that his athletic prowess would make it easy for him to step onto a football field and perform well.

Paul continued to push this angle on social media on Sunday, writing that “not a single NFL player could last two rounds in a professional boxing ring†and that he could “catch a touchdown pass tomorrow in the NFL with zero training.â€

See Paul's unedited statement below.

Not a single NFL player could last 2 rounds in a professional boxing ring

Meanwhile I can catch a touchdown pass tomorrow in the NFL with 0 training

Patrick Mahomes
“Run a 10 yard outâ€

Me
“Okayâ€

Patrick sends me perfect pass and I catch it lol what are we talking about here?

While it's true Paul surprised many with his boxing success, his early bouts were not equivalent to a novice running onto a field and competing against NFL competition. Paul began by boxing his fellow influencers, then scored a knockout over former NBA player Nate Robinson—who had zero fighting experience—in his second pro fight. He sought out the likes of Silva, Woodley, and Ben Askren for his subsequent fights to boost his credibility and while he was able to earn wins over those names, Paul was still criticized for booking past-their-prime opponents with little-to-no boxing experience.

Paul is currently 12-2 as a pro, having lost a split decision to Tommy Fury and via knockout to Anthony Joshua, with Joshua leaving Paul with a broken jaw. “The Problem Child†has not fought since their December encounter, though he is targeting a boxing match before the end of the year and an MMA debut in 2027.

His comments caught the attention of UFC heavyweight contender Josh Hokit, who can boast being signed to NFL practice squad contracts before making the move to MMA. Hokit replied to Paul, “Not only could I beat you in a boxing match, I'd beat you in any sport under the sun.â€

“I see your hustle,†Paul replied. “You do your best to sell. If you want to fly down to Puerto Rico and box—anytime I will gladly embarrass you.â€

See more comments from Paul below.