J. Blachowicz (left) defeated I. Adesanya on points in the UFC 259. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
It said 'zebra'. In the main fight of UFC 259, held this Saturday (6), in Las Vegas (USA), Jan Blachowicz 'broke the bank' and kept the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg.) in front of Israel adesanya. An underdog in the bookmakers, the Pole made use of his greatest physical strength, controlling his rival's actions and winning the judges' unanimous decision after five rounds.
See too
With the triumph, Blachowicz silenced some of his critics by retaining the title against one of the company's best stars. The clash against Adesanya marked the Pole's first title defense, who won the throne in September 2020.
In addition to remaining at the top of the category, Jan became the first man to beat Israel in an MMA fight. The Nigerian was unbeaten in 20 appearances.
Middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg), Adesanya started the match well, but ended up suffering the consequences of facing a heavier and stronger opponent. The athlete then postpones his dream of becoming the organization's double champion.
In the interview after the victory, Blachowicz reinforced his desire to face Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian, who is currently first in the rankings, was an immediate reserve for the clash between the Pole and the Nigerian.
The fight
The confrontation began with Blachowicz and Adesanya exchanging low kicks. With greater reach, the Nigerian kept his distance and tried to avoid his rival's powerful blows. Jan saved his attacks, but waited for the best moment. Israel risked a high kick, but the Pole defended the attack well. The champion tried a cross, but the challenger was alert in dodging. After two minutes, Israel was better at range and was attacking the opponent with jabs and kicks. Halfway through the stage, Blachowicz landed a kick to the challenger's head, but the Nigerian saved it and was unfazed. With intense movement, Adesanya tried to intimidate the champion, while Jan waited for the best opportunity to attack. In the final seconds, Israel insisted on low kicks, but there was no more time.
In the second round, Blachowicz took the initiative with a kick to the challenger's waist. Adesanya responded with a series of punches, but was attentive to the champion's counterattacks. The Pole kept his right hand cocked, but the champion was worried about his opponent's speed. After just over a minute, Jan began to loosen up and connected good blows to the challenger's body. Adesanya even walked backwards, but recovered afterwards. Israel continued to score with quick jabs at Blachowicz. Almost in the final two minutes, the champion risked a takedown on the Nigerian, but Israel defended well. Near the end of the stage, the fighters exchanged combinations of blows in the center of the octagon. Blachowicz landed a clean cross to his rival's face, but Israel did not acknowledge his opponent's attacks. Before the end of the round, the challenger still landed a low kick.
The third stage began with Blachowicz trying to close the distance with jabs. Adesanya remained confident and continued to focus on jabs and low kicks. In the opening seconds, Jan shook the Nigerian with a cross and started attacking the challenger against the bars. Israel managed to get out of position and tried to take advantage of the bad moment with sequences of punches. After suffering a combination of attacks, Blachowicz returned to grappling. Pressing his opponent against the bars, the athlete tried to tire his rival. Israel managed to free itself and began to act with its guard down. Reaching the end of the stage, Jan hit the challenger with two clean rights to the face. Adesanya responded with jabs. The duel remained tense, with the combatants accepting the frank exchange. Blachowicz touched Israel again with a straight shot and a cross. Although he continued to walk forward, the Nigerian suffered more damage. The clock ran to zero after a dodge by the Nigerian.
In the fourth round, Adesanya hit the champion with a strong low kick in the opening seconds. Seeking to tire his opponent, Blachowicz returned to grappling and pressed the Nigerian against the bars. Israel managed to break free, but was surprised by a right-wing bomb from the Pole. After two minutes, Jan ended up being hit by a series of punches from his rival, but he immediately looked for the challenger's legs and managed to take down him. On the ground, Israel tried to free himself from his opponent, but his rival's weight prevented him from reacting. On top, Blachowicz tried to break his opponent's guard. Adesanya tried to get up, but couldn't. Towards the end, the Pole continued to have an advantage, but did not improve his actions before the end of the stage.
The last round began with Blachowicz unbalancing the challenger with a low kick and a jab afterwards. Adesanya responded with a cross to the champion's face. The confrontation became frank again, with the fighters exposing themselves in the center of the Octagon. Israel continued to have its guard down, but Jan showed concentration so as not to fall into his rival's traps. Halfway through the round, the Nigerian surprised the Pole with a round kick to the waistline. Jan responded with a straight shot, which touched the challenger. Afterwards, Blachowicz attacked his legs again and took down his opponent. With an advantage on top, the champion used time to his advantage. Using all his weight, the Pole gave his opponent no space. The fight ended with Jan striking from the top until the timer ran out.
UFC 259 RESULTS
MAIN CARD
Light Heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz derrotou Israel adesanya in the unanimous decision of the judges (49-45, 49-46, 49-45) – Title fight
Feather weight: Amanda nunes finished Megan anderson with an armbar at 2m03s of R1 – Title fight
Bantamweight: aljamain sterling derrotou Petr yan by disqualification (illegal knee) at 4m29s of R4 – Title fight
Lightweight: Islam makhachev finished Drew dober with a choke at 1m37s of R3
Light Heavyweight: Aleksandar rakic derrotou Thiago Marreta in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28,30-27, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Bantamweight: Dominick Cruz derrotou Casey kenney in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Kyler Phillips derrotou song yadong in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fly weight: Askar askarov derrotou Joseph Benavidez in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Fly weight: Kai Kara France derrotou Rogerio Bontorin by technical knockout at 4m55s of R1
Fly weight: Tim Elliott derrotou Jordan Espinosa in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu derrotou Carlos Ulberg by technical knockout 3m19s of R2
Welterweight Weight: Sean brady finished Jake matthews with a katagatame 3m28s from R3
Straw weight: Amanda lemos derrotou Livinha Souza by technical knockout at 3m39s of R1
Lightweight: Uros Medic derrotou Aalon Cruz by technical knockout at 1m40s of R1
Bantamweight: Trevin Jones derrotou mario bautista by technical knockout at 47s of R2
Comments