UFC 259- Jan Blachowicz vs Israel Adesanya: Prediction and Analysis

UFC 259 has one of the most stacked cards of the year. While UFC 257 didn’t see a single title fight in favor of a Conor McGregor headlining spot, UFC 259 comes at us with three. Petr Yan will defend his bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling, while Amanda Nunes looks to build her legacy as the greatest with a defense against Megan Anderson.

However, the main event of the show has one of the biggest fights of the year. Israel Adesanya (20-0) looks to become a double champion within three years of his debut. The reigning middleweight king is going up to 205 to challenge Jan Blachowicz (27-8) for the light heavyweight belt. Jan won the belt on the same card as Izzy’s last title defense at UFC 253.

While that September PPV saw Izzy beat Paulo Costa and Jan beat Dominick Reyes, this is a different situation now. Blachowicz will look to prove that people are wrong in thinking that he is a journeyman. Adesanya will look to accelerate his path to the ‘Greatest of All Time’ with a win here. Both men have a lot to prove, but who comes out on top?

UFC 259: Is Blachowicz being overlooked?

Jan Blachowicz is no easy night at the office. While he has shown vulnerabilities before, he isn’t a fighter with a lack of skill. He can be a precise striker and will have a major size and power advantage over Izzy. However, he will not be able to match the lighter Izzy’s pace, so it is a fight with a lot to break down.

Adesanya is a precise counter striker and will bait Blachowicz into trying to get a KO blow. If Izzy can dodge punches and effectively counter strike, this should be his night. He will also be relying on a cardio advantage over the Pole, so the fight could sway more in Adesanya’s favor if it goes into the championship rounds.

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Blachowicz isn’t just a striker, though. He has a well-developed wrestling game and even poses a BJJ threat. However, Izzy has neutralized wrestlers before. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the size difference plays out in Izzy’s takedown defense.

For our prediction, we are going with Adesanya. While the light heavyweight shouldn’t be overlooked, it seems like ‘The Last Stylebender’ might have the right strategy for this fight. If he can control the pace while effectively counter-striking, it will be a classic victory for the Kiwi fighter.