UFC 259 stands as a defining moment for either Israel Adesanya or Jan Blachowicz.
UFC 259 stands as a defining moment for either Israel Adesanya or Jan Blachowicz.
The undefeated Adesanya (20-0), the reigning middleweight champion, moves up a weight class to challenge Blachowicz (27-8), who is the light heavyweight champion. Adesanya will add a whole new layer of stardom to his brilliance by winning a title from a higher weight class, and a victory would further increase the hype for a possible heavyweight about against Jon Jones. But that will be no easy task against the powerful Blachowicz, who has an opportunity to become a far greater star if he becomes the first to defeat Adesanya in the Octagon.
There are a total of three title fights at UFC 259, including Amanda Nunes returning to defend her women’s featherweight championship. Nunes (20-4) looks to extend her reign of dominance with a victory against Megan Anderson. While Nunes has not fought since last June, Anderson (11-4) has been inactive even longer, last fighting in February 2020. It would be a considerable upset if Nunes does not exit the cage as champ.
The third championship bout should be the most competitive fight of the card, as bantamweight champion Petr Yan defends against No. 1-ranked Aljamain Sterling. This is a clash of styles, and should be an incredibly tight fight where wrestling may be the area where this is decided for Yan (15-1) and Sterling (19-3). The winner of this bout is the favorite to become the face of the division with a lengthy title reign.
The card also includes another light heavyweight bout, with Thiago Santos (21-8) seeking to end a two-fight loss streak and reinsert himself into the title picture with a win against Aleksander Rakic (13-2). There is a lightweight fight on the card, too, as Islam Makhachev (18-1) looks to assert his dominance against Drew Dober (23-9, 1 NC).
After a UFC 258 card that, on paper, did not inspire much fanfare, 259 is ready to cause a stir in the fight world.