Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya will crown the UFC 259 event this Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two fighters are coming into this clash as the champions of their respective divisions, Blachowicz the light heavyweight, and Adesanya as the middleweight champ. The odds are favoring the fighter from New Zealand, but still, we saw surprises in these matches so many times. Take five minutes of your time to read BetXChange’s short preview for this fight.
CHAMP vs CHAMP.
🏆 @JanBlachowicz vs 🏆 @Stylebender is TWO DAYS away.
[ LIVE on #ESPNPlus PPV: https://t.co/RtY8CEQexC ] pic.twitter.com/bGLmO1s0g0
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2021
Preview
Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC) had a rough start in the UFC, losing four fights in five matches at one point. However, he would go on a spree during which Jan won eight of nine contests, losing just one against Thiago Santos.
During that time, he avenged previous defeats against Jimi Manuwa and Corey Anderson, and along the way, defeated Jared Cannonier, Luke Rockhold, Jacare Souza, and finally Dominick Reyes in what was the title-match.
His fighting style is predominantly in standup, although Blachowicz knows to wrestle. Thought, he avoids going down on the canvas, and is always trying to find a way to strike the opponent with his ferocious punches. Lately, he improved leg kicks, using them to inflict solid damage to the rivals, and we can say that Blachowicz evolved from a boxer to a kickboxer at the moment.
The Pole is strong, massive, and knows how to take a shot. However, he never faced an opponent like Izzy, and his reaction to it would be interesting to see.
The same could be said about Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC). He fought various opponents, but never a guy strong like Blachowicz. He will have a reach advantage but not as before. His reaction to a new kind of opponent would also be exciting to witness.
Izzy is arguably the biggest star in the UFC at the moment, with his charisma and showing off. But not just that. This guy has every right to be arrogant because he never lost a match before, having 20 wins in the same number of contests.
The only time he was near a defeat was against Marvin Vettori, but that was a long time ago. The way he dismantled Paulo Costa was impressive. Borrachina is one of the toughest guys in the division, but he didn’t have a chance to show that against the Last Stylebender. That match, as well as the one against Yoel Romero were the best possible displays of Adesanya’s excellent tactical knowledge.
His speed and quickness allow Adesanya to wait for the opponent before responding, and his length would then play a key role in punishing the rival’s attempt to hurt him.
Prediction
We are more than sure that this event won’t see all five rounds, and judging by the way these two guys handle their business inside the octagon, a knockout is the best possible solution when picking the best for this event.
Yet, in this case, we would go with Adesanya winning by any kind of stoppage, with the win at 1.10 at BetXChange. It might be risky, but the odds are perfect. Izzy is much quicker than Blachowicz, who isn’t that great when it comes to receiving counter-punches and we saw that against Santos. That is the one big reason we give Adesanya an edge here.
Pick: Adesanya via stoppage 1.10 at BetXChange
