UFC 259 Picks – Blachowicz vs Adesanya

This weekend, Israel Adesanya will have the opportunity to join an extremely small list of fighters to hold UFC titles across two weight classes concurrently. The Nigerian-born Kiwi, which is referenced in his prominent chest tattoo “broken native” currently holds the promotion’s middleweight title and will get the opportunity in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 259 card in Las Vegas to add a second belt to his collection when he moves up to challenge light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.

Adesanya has achieved a considerable amount in his short time within the UFC, who clearly believe the hype as he’s already been given the opportunity to leave his native division in search of new challengers in the next weight class up, which has typically been reserved for the likes of long-serving champions like Anderson Silva and the mainstream superstar Connor McGregor.

Adesanya will get his opportunity this Saturday in Las Vegas in the main event of UFC 259 when he challenges the new light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (27-8) for a second title, which will be his first defense of the belt he acquired when he beat Dominic Reyes via second-round TKO on Fight Island back in September of 2020. Adesanya will be keen to retain his belt as his compatriot Kamaru Usman, who is also a current champion hailing from Nigeria retained his UFC Welterweight belt last month by beating former-team mate Gilbert Burns at UFC 258.

If the ‘The last stylebender’ is able to do as the bookmakers suspect and defeat Blachowicz, he’ll join the illustrious ranks of just five fighters in the UFC to be double champs including McGregor, Cormier, Nunes, and Cejudo. Should he be victorious on Saturday, that accomplishment would not only firmly cement him as one of the sport’s current pound-for-pound fighters, but as one of the best mixed martial artists ever.

However, the challenge in front of Adesanya is certainly more difficult than the bookmakers believe.

While light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has experienced some setbacks since he joined the UFC roster back in 2014, he has recently ascended to the top of ranks, before securing gold, powered by his knockout punches dubbed the “Legendary Polish Power.”

Blachowicz has fallen short only once in his last nine fights but having claimed some notable scalps in that time such as the likes of Devin Clark, Jared Cannonier, Jimi Manuwa, Nikita Krylov, Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza, Corey Anderson, and most recently, Dominick Reyes. His win over Reyes—a second-round knockout at UFC 253 last September—is where he claimed his gold strap as they fought for the vacant UFC light heavyweight after long-reigning champion Jon Jones vacated earlier that year.

WELCOME TO FIGHT WEEK.

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This run of form is not to suggest that Blachowicz should be favored against Adesanya, as he too is coming off an impressive win streak after comfortably dismantling Paulo Costa recently, but only to note that he should not be counted out either. Adesanya could leave the Octagon at UFC 259 with a second belt in his collection, but equally, he could also find himself coming too, with the Ref and doctors around him wondering what happened, that is how much of a threat Blachowicz power poses.

Timing is everything in MMA and on Saturday night we will find out which contender is going to take their stardom to the next level.

Given his unbeaten streak and his hunger to slay the goat, Jon Jones, we’re picking Adesanaya to be taking home two golden belts at UFC 259.

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