A trio of title fights headlines a massive pay-per-view from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas
Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya will jump up to light heavyweight in his “champ champ” quest opposite current 205-pound kingpin Jan Blachowicz in the UFC 259 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on March 6 in Las Vegas.
This UFC 259 video preview is sure to get you hyped for the big day.
Adesanya (20-0) made his UFC debut roughly three years back and during that time has racked up nine straight wins, four by way of knockout. As for Blachowicz (27-8), he’s put together an 8-1 run dating back to Oct. 2017 and is fresh off his title-winning finish over light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes.
Three UFC championships will be up for grabs on March 6 when UFC 259 goes down inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. No fight on the card is bigger than the main event superfight as middleweight champion Israel Adesanya jumps to light heavyweight to challenge 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title.
Adesanya is a perfect 20-0 in his MMA career, and after winning the interim title at middleweight, unifying to become undisputed champion and successfully defending the crown twice, he is looking to build his resume against the very dangerous Blachowicz. After an up and down UFC career, Blachowicz finally reached the top of the light heavyweight mountain this past September, running his winning streak to four by knocking out Dominick Reyes to capture the vacant 205-pound title.
In the co-main event, the greatest fighter in the history of women’s MMA, Amanda Nunes, will return to defend her featherweight championship against heavy underdog Megan Anderson. Rounding out the trio of title fights, Petr Yan will put his bantamweight title on the line for the first time since becoming champion when he faces off with Aljamain Sterling.
Below is the fight card that’s been announced by the promotion to date. Odds via William Hill Sportsbook.
Israel Adesanya is moving up to light heavyweight to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the belt at UFC 259, company president Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Adesanya ranks No. 3 overall in UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings and has held the middleweight title since April 2019 with one unification bout victory and two successful defenses.
UFC 259 is scheduled for March 6. The location is to be determined.
Blachowicz is No. 15 in UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings but has an impressive resume himself.
He won the light heavyweight title with a technical knockout over Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 last September. That punctuated a four-bout win streak that cemented him as a legitimate threat in the division. Now Blachowicz (27-8, 8 KOs) will make his first title defense against one of the sport’s superstars in Adesanya.
The Nigerian is 20-0 with 15 knockouts and at the top of his game, taking down Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson and Kelvin Gastelum in recent events. This will also be his first bout since September when he defeated Paulo Costa in his second title defense since unifying the middleweight belt.
Adesanya could be on the verge of holding two belts at once and cementing his status as one of MMA’s most fearsome fighters.
UFC 259 fight card
- Jan Blachowicz (c) +220 vs. Israel Adesanya -270, light heavyweight championship
- Amanda Nunes (c) -1100 vs. Megan Anderson +700, women’s featherweight championship
- Petr Yan (c) -130 vs. Aljamain Sterling +110, bantamweight championship
- Aleksandar Rakic -175 vs. Thiago Santos +150, light heavyweight
- Song Yadong -165 vs. Kyler Phillips +140, bantamweight
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Carlos Ulberg, light heavyweight
- Sean Brady -260 vs. Jake Matthews +210, welterweight
- Kai Kara-France -150 vs. Rogerio Bontorin +125, flyweight
UFC 259 info
- Date: March 6
- Location: UFC APEX — Las Vegas, Nevada
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
Credits: https://t.ly/WM1C
