Israel Adesanya is aiming to become a two-division champion when he takes on Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6 (March 7 in Nigeria) at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Light weight Champion, Blanchowicz will be defending his title against middle weight Champion Adesanya, who is moving up to 205 for the first time in his career.
Adesanya has a chance to further cement his legacy in his quest to become a double weight champion. He is undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted fighters in UFC roster today.
A win for Adesanya (20-0) would see him join the elite list of fighters who have held two belts in different weight classes at the same time. Only four other fighters have achieved that feat- Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
The Nigerian-born fighter totally outclassed Paulo Costa to defend his belt in his last time out in September 2020. He knocked out the Brazilian in Round 2, after landing deadly kicks on his legs.
Read Also: Israel Adesanya Retains UFC Title, Knocks Out Costa In Second Round (Video)
Adesanya is still undefeated in his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career since making his debut in February 2018.
He became an Undisputed middleweight champion after defeating Robert Whittaker by knockout in October 2019 at UFC 243.
The Last Stylebender (as he calls himself) has defeated Rob Eilkinson, Marvin Vettori, Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson, Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum on his way to the title.
His fight against Gastelum has been tagged as one of the greatest fights in the Sport’s history as both fighters fought with determination and endurance.
Meanwhile, Blachowicz (27-8) has seen a late- career resurgence with his lightweight championship crown which he won the belt in his fight in September in a fight against Dominick Reyes.
The Polish knocked out Reyes in the 2nd round, he went into the match as an underdog (loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest). The Prince of Cieszyn (as he fondly calls himself) broke Reyes’ nose and knocked him to the ground with a short-left hook, he went on to pound on.
Blachowicz had a rugged start to his UFC career, winning just two of his first six games. He reinvented himself and went on an impressive streak of 9-1 which saw him knock out Luke Rockhold and Corey Anderson. He went into each of those victories as an underdog and he is going into the game against the Last Stylebender as an underdog.
The Polishman has power advantage over Adesanya, he is not necessary the bigger guy but definitely more thick, and his one-punch knockout power has been seen in his previous victories.
