UFC Predictions: UFC 259: Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya Predictions & Picks
This weekend sees what should be one of 2021’s biggest UFC shows go down from Las Vegas, as UFC 259 is a truly loaded card.
UFC 259 will see no less than three UFC title fights on its main card, while the show’s undercard is also filled with excellent clashes.
The Conor McGregor-headlined UFC 257 will likely end up with a bigger buyrate, but there can be no doubt that on paper at least, this is the best UFC show of 2021 to date.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya.
#1 UFC Light-Heavyweight Title: Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya
To call this a big fight would be an understatement. It’s the first champion vs. champion fight we’ve seen in the UFC since January 2019, when TJ Dillashaw dropped to Flyweight to face Henry Cejudo. But naturally, this one is more intriguing.
The UFC’s reigning Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya is unbeaten in MMA at 20-0 and naturally, unbeaten in the UFC at 9-0. If we’re honest, nobody has even tested him yet.
Win here, and not only would Adesanya automatically become a UFC legend, but he’d probably have to be considered up there with the greatest fighters of all time.
So can ‘The Last Stylebender’ pull it off? As the old saying goes, styles make fights – and this style clash definitely seems to favour him.
That might be slightly unfair to Jan Blachowicz. The Polish fighter is definitely one of the UFC’s more unlikely champions, but it’s hard to say he hasn’t earned his title.
‘The Prince of Cieszyn’ is 8-1 in his last nine UFC fights, and he’s defeated top contenders like Corey Anderson and Luke Rockhold along the way.
More to the point, he knocked out Dominick Reyes to win the title. Many observers believed Reyes should’ve been given the nod in his title fight with Jon Jones at UFC 247 last year.
Always a hard-hitting striker, Blachowicz has developed his game slowly and steadily since arriving in the UFC back in 2014. His boxing has come on in leaps and bounds, as he now sits behind a ramrod jab and is adept at landing heavy counterpunches. And his grappling has also improved, to the point that he’s now the proud owner of a legitimate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
But compared to Adesanya, it feels like Blachowicz slightly out of his depth. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is in a class of his own when it comes to striking. He’s patient, quicker than he seems, and most importantly, he’s incredibly precise with his shots.
Worryingly for any opponent that faces him, Adesanya seems to have a natural ability to work out an opponent’s weakness and capitalise on it quickly.
Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero all bought excellent striking reputations into their fights with Adesanya. And all three were easily beaten.
The only fighter to have any real success against him was Kelvin Gastelum, and that was because his wrestling was at a good enough level to really offer a threat. Blachowicz, despite his improved grappling, simply doesn’t offer that threat.
Add in the fact that he’s likely to appear plodding and flat-footed when compared to the snake-like ‘Last Stylebender’, and this seems like a fight akin to Anderson Silva’s clashes with James Irvin and Forrest Griffin.
Blachowicz has the power to be given a puncher’s chance here, but overall, Adesanya is the spiritual successor to Silva. UFC 259 will likely see him go one step further than the Brazilian legend.
Adesanya via first round knockout – making it look surprisingly easy – is the pick.
The Pick: Adesanya via first-round TKO