UFC 259: Israel Adesanya Suffers First Career Defeat As Jan Blachowicz Retains Heavyweight Title
Israel Adesanya has in the wee hours of Sunday suffered his first career defeat to Jan Blachowicz in Ultimate Fight Club (UFC) at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
The Polish fighter defeated Nigerian born Adesanya popularly called the ‘Last Stylebender’ via an unanimous decision of 49-46, 49-45, 49-45.
After a tight opening three rounds, Blachowicz took over in the fourth and fifth as big takedowns in each championship round saw the 38-year-old control things on the ground.
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The 31-year-old Nigerian-Kiwi, who entered the fight with a 20-0 record that features 15 knockouts, now has 20-1.
Adesanya’s eight-fight win streak came to an end against Blachowicz, who first took the 205-pound belt in 2020 after stopping Dominick Reyes.
Adesanya had intended to burnish the legend as he aimed to become the fifth fighter in UFC history to become a two-weight champion simultaneously.
The Nigerian had stepped into the octagon against Jan Blachowicz, the light-heavyweight title-holder, in a bid to add to his middleweight championship honours.
The Polish fighter is bigger, more experienced, and older, but Adesanya had said none of these qualities troubled him.
With his defeat, the Last Stylebender has failed in his recent bid to join Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo as one of the five fighters in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.
