New Delhi: Jan Blachowicz has been doubted at every step and still he rose to become the light heavyweight champion, and it continued at his initial title defense on Saturday. However, once again, Blachowicz defied the percentages and maintained his championship within the main event of UFC 259 with persuading middleweight champion Israel Adesanya within the Kiwi’s bid to become a two-division champion.
Blachowicz and Adesanya fought a tense initial 3 rounds, with each man wanting to reduce mistakes and create the opposition pay. Whereas Adesanya was the higher technical striker, obviously, Blachowicz continued to throw punches and kicks with the previous high-level kickboxing standout.
The feints of Adesanya appeared to hassle Blachowicz the maximum amount as any landed strikes. In fact, Blachowicz outlanded Adesanya in total strikes in each round of the fight per the UFC’s official stats.
THE LEGEND GROWS!
??? @JanBlachowicz defends his LHW strap. #UFC259 pic.twitter.com/2CdNbJYzAn
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
While Blachowicz titillated some grappling within the initial 3 rounds, he was unable to require Adesanya down for any meaty quantity of your time. it had been within the championship rounds that Blachowicz showed off his bona fides, finally, victimization his size and strength advantage to require down Adesanya and swot up with ground and pound.
Piling away the points in those massive closing rounds allowed Blachowicz to drag away on the scorecards, earning the success by score 49-46, 49-45 and 49-45. Two of the three judges gave Blachowicz a 10-8 round in Round five, pleasing him for dominant groundwork, together with closing the fight in mount position and dropping significant punches to the face of the middleweight champ.
“I thought that he would be a little bit faster, but he don’t hit so hard,” Blachowicz said following his victory. “He was slower, but he hit harder, this was something I don’t expect. I should do my left hand a little bit more, I should do more jabs, put more pressure on him. But game plan is one, and the fight is second, a different thing.”
“I think [Teixeira] deserves it,” Blachowicz said. “He’ll have to wait a little bit, so I can rest and be with my family. But he will wait, he will be next.”
“It didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, but dare to be great,” Adesanya said. “The critics are the ones on the sidelines, but I’m the one putting it on the line.”
“I rule them with an iron black fist,” Adesanya said. “I’m going to go back down and handle business. If you want to get off the hype train, get the f— off the hype train. We’re just stopping for gas. If you want to stay on, I promise I’ll make you proud.”
“Now I think I deserve full respect,” Blachowicz said of any doubters of his place in the sport. “I was the true champion before and I am the true champion now.”
The light heavyweight champ @JanBlachowicz with a nice sequence of his own ? @espnmma #UFC259 pic.twitter.com/vx0vzreJdK
— ESPN (@espn) March 7, 2021
A true champion!
? @JanBlachowicz shows that Polish Power never ends. #UFC259
[ B2YB @TrojanCondoms ] pic.twitter.com/Z4PfSEa50Z
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
UFC 259 Results
- Jan Blachowicz (c) def. Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45)
- Amanda Nunes (c) def. Megan Anderson via first-round submission (armbar)
- Aljamain Sterling (c) def. Petr Yan via DQ in the fourth round (illegal knee)
- Islam Makhachev def. Drew Dober via third-round submission (arm-triangle)
- Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Kyler Phillips def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin via first-round TKO (punch)
