UFC 259 REVIEW: BLACHOWICZ VS ADESANYA - Round by Round - Sum up of the best fights😁
This night was a special night of fighting. 😍
The main card was packed with action, and every fights (except Thiago Santos vs. Aleksandar Rakić, and the men bantamweight anticlimactic end) were just very compelling and full of action, if it was a night for you to discover MMA, if you were not a fan already. We even had some tragic moments, which again is very indicative of the sport.
Welcome to my post fight show, where I will analyse the best fights of the night.
Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews
There were few interesting fights in the early prelims, but the one that really caught my attention was Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews.
Apart from having a cool style, Sean Brady showed his BJJ and grappling skills, going side control in round 3 and get the win by submission after a devastating left hook. He is now 4-0 in the UFC, and was asking for a top 15 opponent for his next fight. Surely the organisation will grant him his wish after such a dominant performance.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Carlos Ulberg
That was a very impressive performance by Kennedy Nzechukwu, I am so pleased to see more and more African fighters rising in the organisation.
Right from the get go, Ulberg threw an incredible high kick to Nzechukwu.
After surviving what seemed to feel like a interminable onslaught , Nzechukwu made it through another round.
In Round 2, Nzechukwu lands a right hand that sent Ulberg in the shadow realm, lights out.
This was Ulberg’s UFC debut, and hopefully can get back on his feet with a win.
Drew Dobber Vs Islam Makachev
As expected, Islam showed his dominance on the ground, stayed composed and submitted Drew at the 1:37 mark of Round 3 with an arm-triangle choke that was not even in side control, so with much less leverage, just applying shoulder pressure.
If you blinked for a second you might have missed it. As we often say, there is levels to this game, and Islam is really THAT GOOD.
Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling 😖
The champion showed his level , was so calm throughout the entire fight, and the magnitude of the event might a caught up with Aljo.
Yan was picking his shots, like a sniper, and won every rounds even if Aljamain seemed to have more significance strikes in round 1 and 2 than Petr Yan, and even had his moments with a great knee in round 1.
In round 4, Sterling became almost careless showing his back to Yan several times, it's often the case when you get tired, your hands aren't up anymore, you throwing combos in a sloppy way, and get reckless.
Eventually, there were an illegal knee by Yan in the same round, that seems to have compromised Aljamain Sterling, therefore the win was awarded to him 😬 due to an intentional foul (disqualification).
I am still processing this, Aljo wasn't happy with himself, he was obviously concussed during the interview, I guess we have a new champion hahaha.
What a weird fight! One judge even had it 29/28 for Sterling prior to the foul. There will probably be a rematch very soon.
Amanda Nunes vs Megan Anderson
The lioness is just on another level! 👏
Amanda just wrecked Megan Anderson with few punches, and a succession of hammer fists that turtled up the challenger and nearly finished the fight, then proceeds to an arm bar that sealed the deal at 2:03 in round 1.
The real question is, who is left in the featherweight division that could give problems to the champion?
Same question goes for the bantamweight division
“Nobody is going to stop me,” “I’m going to retire undefeated and with the two belts at home.”
It's hard to argue that!
MAIN EVENT: BLACHOWICZ VS ADESANYA
Round 1
Izzy is calmer than usual , precise, and evasive. Jan is clearly heavier on his feet, the size difference isn't very shocking, Adesanya just looks lankier. Jan takes his time and look for openings. Israel is definitely the busier fighter in this round, making it a technical kickboxing match.
Round 2
Blachowicz's jab start to find Izzy, to the body also, and jan becomes a problem when Israel stays in the pocket. Still no takedown attempt from the Polish fighter. I think it's a tactical choice by Jan trying to preserve his energy, he shows more and more efficiency at closer range, this is getting interesting.
The Las Style Bender is very aware of Jan's power, the commentator Daniel Cormier points out that Blachowicz is overreacting to every faints, which is a sign of respect.
Round 3
The Polish light heavyweight is now finding success, and increase his work rate. On the other hand Izzy, lands a very good kick, and giving him lots of trouble to read where the next strike is coming from.
This is when Jan decides to clinch, he needs the fight to get dirty because Adesanya is just too crisp on his feet.
He secure a clinch and half a takedown at the end of the round, but Israel manages to get out. Very close fight, but The Kiwi has it for now 2 rounds to 1.
Round 4
Adesanya is finding opportunities to showcase his striking skills
Takedown by Jan on at 3:13 , this is the turning point of the fight, if Blachowicz can maintain his top position, he could really make him feel his weight. Jan isn't rushing it, and control the fight from a wrestling position.
Round for Blachowicz for certain. This means we arrive into round 5 with 2 rounds each, both of them will need that championship round to secure the win.
Round 5
Jan lands a jab and a kick very early!!
Izzy is starting to lose control of the fight, he is getting careless. More jabs are landing from the polish champion.
He is also breathing very heavy, maybe Izzy was trying to get him tired, all that grappling exchange in the previous round start taking its toll on both fighters.
Spinning back kick to the body by Izzy!! Takedown by Jan Blachowicz in the mid point of round 5! This could cost him the win!
I am certain that the game plan was to wrestle later on in the fight. Israel's guard is too open, and there's no control on the leg, probably because of the tiredness and the size of Blachowicz constantly pressurizing him.
This is now sure that Jan controlled this round, ground and pound at the end of the fight, he did exactly what he had to do to win. Good job champ!!
Conclusion:
I found the event fascinating, I applaud Adesanya for trying to challenge and tarnish his undefeated record for a shot at greatness.
All in all, it was a great fight, maybe not a slug fest like some were expecting, but at that level you cannot be careless and have to stick to the plan, like Jan Blachowicz did.
What did you guys think of the event?
Other significant wins of the evening:
Kai Kara-France stops Rogerio Bontorin in round 1. He carries his nickname "Don't Blink" for a reason 😝
Askar Askarov steamrolled a bloodied Joseph Benavidez (unanimous decision)
Kyler Phillips wins a big victory against Song Yadong (decision)
Dominick Cruz wins against Casey Kenney thanks to his footwork (split decision).
We end up this show, with Uroš Medić destroying Aalon Cruz:
https://twitter.com/mmamania/status/1368333932383637507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1368333932383637507%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mmamania.com%2F2021%2F3%2F6%2F22317186%2Fufc-259-full-fight-video-highlights-blachowicz-adesanya-results-espn-ppv-vegas-medic-knockout-cruz
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Cheers!
Beautiful analysis man. I didn't know we have UFC fellas on here 😅
I thought Kennedy was great, he is my country man as id Izzy.
Amanda is a beast.
It was really brave of izzy to go that high, great fight but right result. Jan dominated with his grappling skill and weight.
Thanks brother, there's a whole community into MMA and other sports also. Me I am obsessed with MMA.
I watch pretty much everything, even smaller promotions!
Have you seen how many Nigerian fighters are doing amazingly at the moment?
I don't know If I should include Kamaru Usman, because he got that US mentality, but I am sure he is still acclaimed a little at home. I know I lived for 10 years in South Africa and I did not considered him as a true African when I was living in the motherland. This is weird right?
And I don't know who is ever gonna beat her. Maybe Schevchenko in a rematch?
That was the only way he could win. He also did what Costa did not do. He took his time to engage in takedown attempts in later rounds. Meaning he did not get tired too early, which is essential to avoid Izzy's fast pace.
More fights coming next week haha it never ends...
Understandably.
Amanda and Schevs rematch would be something
Thanks for sticking around buddy, I look forward to your comments!
🤝🏽💯
Funny you would say that about the Islam Makachev fight: I was actually looking at my phone because grappler fights kind of bore me and yes, I did in fact miss it.
The dude wasn't even trying to submit him, imagine him getting angry!!
Yeah, he is going to move up the ranks quickly, that is for sure.