Israel Adesanya gets its chance to become a two-time UFC champion in March.
UFC officials on Wednesday confirmed to MMA Fight a plan to make Adesanya, the current middleweight champion, jump to 205 pounds to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title at UFC 259. ESPN initially reported the news.
UFC 259 takes place March 6 at a venue and venue yet to be announced and will be broadcast live on ESPN + pay-per-view.
Blachowicz tries his first title defense after winning the vacant title with a second round of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253. After losing four of five between April 2015 and April 2017, Blachowicz has gone 8-1 in his last nine matches and won four straight. The 37-year-old also holds victories over Corey Anderson and Luke Rockhold on the road to his first UFC title.
UFC middleweight champion Adesanya is unbeaten in 20 pro fights, including nine straight in the octagon. ‘The Last Stylebender’ wins the interim middleweight title with a unanimous decisive victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in one of the best fights of 2019. The standout for City Kickboxing became the undisputed champion when he defeated Robert Whittaker in a UFC title fight UFC 243.
The 31-year-old successfully defended his title in a couple of 2020 appearances, defeating Yoel Romero via unanimous decision and then finishing Paulo Costa in a masterful performance at UFC 253.