UFC 259 - Fight Previews and Predictions
- benwilley18
- Mar 5, 2021
- 7 min read
(C)Jan Blachowicz vs (C) Israel Adesanya - UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
“The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya attempts to become only the 5th fighter in UFC history to reach Double Champ status. Adesanya is currently the UFC Middleweight Champion and has reigned over the division since October, 2019. He is a very highly decorated kickboxer and a perfect 20-0 in his MMA career. He reached the top of the mountain at Middleweight by showcasing his personality and extremely high level striking. He started his UFC career 5-0 with wins over Derek Brunson, Marvin Vettori, and Anderson Silva. The latter being his first PPV Main Event. Izzy’s first shot at gold came against Kelvin Gastelum for the Interim Middleweight Belt at UFC 236. In an all-time great UFC title bout, Gastelum and Adesanya put on an absolute war for 25 minutes. Both men were almost finished and the fight remained close throughout all 5 rounds. Israel was awarded a Unanimous Decision and a shot at the undisputed belt. He went on the win the belt against Robert Whittaker and defend twice against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
(thesun.co.uk)
Jan Blachowicz is a new challenge for Adesanya. Blachowicz represents “The Polish Power” that has gotten him to the top of the 205 lbs. division. After a very rocky 2-4 start to his UFC run, Jan turned his career around winning 8 of his last 9. This recent run has seen Blachowicz finish Corey Anderson, former Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold, and former title challenger Dominck Reyes. His incredible power and sharpened all-around MMA game has made him the most dangerous force in the Light Heavyweight division.
(Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC.)
Now for the fight, Jan’s size could be a problem. He is, according to Luke Rockhold, surprisingly strong and his background in Muay Thai only helps his movement and accuracy. Izzy is bigger than people think. He has finished men much bigger than him and has experience at Light Heavyweight in kickboxing. I do believe both men could knock each other out. I just think Izzy is something very special. I think he can find the mark and stay away from Jan’s bullrush. But this fight is insane and much closer than people think.
(Zuffa LLC.)
Prediction: Adesanya, Unanimous Decision
(C)Amanda Nunes vs Megan Anderson - UFC Featherweight Championship
(youtube.com/mmafighting)
The Greatest Fighter in Women’s MMA history is back Saturday night to defend one of her two belts against Megan Anderson. Nunes has proven herself to be the greatest to ever do it. She is undefeated in title fights and the only fighter ever to successfully defend two titles twice at the same time. She has been able to simultaneously rule over two divisions at one time with ease. She has not seen a close fight since her bout with Valentina Schevchenko 3 and a half years ago, which she won by Split Decision. She has defeated every established name in Women’s MMA including Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Ronda Rousey, and Cris “Cyborg.” She finished all those women by the way. She is continuing to build her legendary resume and beginning to stockpile title defenses.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Megan Anderson presents a unique challenge to Amanda. Anderson is much taller than Nunes and probably the biggest woman she has ever fought. Megan is a very long striker with good power. She likes to stay light and pick apart her opponents, but does have submission wins to her UFC resume as well. To bet against Amanda Nunes at this point would be stupid, and I honestly think she gets it done. She has a big advantage on the ground and has shown herself to be the most powerful puncher is Woman’s MMA history. I think Nunes keeps solidifying herself as the GOAT Saturday.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Prediction: Nunes, KO/TKO, Round 2
(C) Petr Yan vs #1 Aljamain Sterling - UFC Bantamweight Championship
(USA Today Sports)
The closest of the 3 title fights by far is Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling. This fight is so intriguing and could be my personal favorite of the night. Petr Yan has been on a rocket to the moon since his UFC debut. He is 7-0 in the promotion with wins over Jimmie Rivera, Urijah Faber, and Jose Aldo. He entered the UFC the ACB Champion and a very decorated boxer. He earned his shot at the belt by destroying Urijah Faber and finishing him with a nasty head hick in the 3rd round. Petr capitalized on Henry Cejudo vacating the Bantamweight Belt and took on Former Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo for the strap. In another one sided fight, Yan showed he is a force to be reckoned with and a legitimate championship caliber fighter.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Aljamain Sterling has been the people’s champ of the division for some time now. He is a UFC veteran with a record of 11-3 in the promotion. He has steadily climbed the ladder and holds big wins over Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz, and Cory Sandhagen. He finished the latter in just 1:28 by rear naked choke to earn his shot at the strap. Sterling is on a 5 fight winning streak and has won 7 of his last 8. His grappling and strength in the clinch are second to none in the division and many believe Aljamain could present many problems for Yan.
(ufc.com)
This is striker vs grappler at the highest level. Yan will look to move forward and piece up Aljo with big hands. Sterling will look to overpower Petr and land inside strikes in between scrambles. Sterling has good hands as well and shouldn’t be overwhelmed in the exchanges. I expect this fight to be a barnburner. If Yan can land early, he has an incredible finishing instinct. If Aljo can get ahold of Petr, he is one of the most vicious grapplers in the sport. I’m taking the upset! Give me Aljo! I think his hands are good enough to keep him confident and he is an absolute savage on the ground. I think Sterling is the best fighter Petr has faced in his career. If I’m correct, the only new champ of the night will be “The Funk Master.”
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Prediction: Sterling, Submission, Round 3
# 14 Islam Makhachev vs. Drew Dober
Islam Makhachev vs Drew Dober is a sleeper for Fight of the Night. Both of these men come forward and look for the finish for 15 minutes. Makhachev is one of the most talked about prospects on the roster. The newest face out of AKA in San Jose, Islam is a close friend and main training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Other teammates like Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold have raved about Islam’s potential as a future Lightweight Champion. Drew Dober is a UFC veteran who is entering the second leg of his career. Dober started off rough, going 1-3-1 in his first 5 UFC outings. He has since turned it around, going 8-2 in his last 10 appearances. He has carved out a role as an exciting top 15ish striker. This is the biggest fight of each man’s career. Islam needs a win over an established name to enter the top 10 talk at Lightweight. Dober needs to steal the hype off Islam to dislodge himself from gatekeeper status. This fight should be a banger, as both men are versatile and well-rounded. But I think Islam has this hype for a reason. His grappling is where you’d expect it to be training with Khabib and his striking is vicious. He looks to me, and many others, to be the next real challenger at 155.
Prediction: Makhachev, Submission, Round 2
The Light Heavyweight division is a bit stagnant at the moment. The Champ, Jan Blachowicz, is fighting Izzy in the Main Event. If Israel wins, theres no telling if he will defend the 205 belt, the 185 belt, or neither and move to Heavyweight. So the contenders of the division are left to scrap to remain relevant. Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic are two of the more relevant contenders in the division. Santos is coming off a loss to Glover Teixeira after being out over a year due to knee surgery. Santos tore both his ACL and MCL in his Light Heavyweight Title Shot against Jon Jones. Santos pushed Jones heavily and is the only man to ever take Jones to a split decision. He is looking to avoid the first 3-fight losing streak of his career when he takes on Rakic.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
Rakic is one of the bigger dark horses of the division. He has looked nasty since debuting in 2017. He is 5-1 in the octagon and 13-2 in MMA overall. He should be undefeated in the UFC, but you know, judges. His wins include finishes of Devin Clark and Jimi Manuwa, the latter being an incredible head kick highlight. He is coming off a win against former Title Challenger Anthony Smith in August, 2020. Both men want to win this fight badly. It is a title eliminator due to the slow movement at 205. I think Rakic is legit and gets it done. He is the bigger man in the matchup and has shown brilliance in all facets of the game. He's showcased his beautiful striking and the ability to control his opponent for 15 minutes. I'll take Rakic. He should be starting to gain traction as a real threat to the belt.
(punditarena.com)
Prediction: Rakic, Unanimous Decision
Prelim Quickies:
#11 Dominick Cruz vs Casey Kenney
2-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz is back and headlining the prelims against up and comer Casey Kenney. Cruz is looking to get back on the horse after suffering back to back losses for the first time in his career. He is coming off a Championship loss to Henry Cejudo and is looking to work his way back up the rankings. Kenney is taking this massive opportunity to get a win over one of the best ever in the division. A win over Cruz puts Kenney into immediate contention for a top 5 name. I still believe Cruz to be one of the best in the world, even this late into his career. I think smell a bounce back win coming for the “Dominator.”
Prediction: Cruz, Unanimous Decision
UFC veteran Joseph Benavidez is back this weekend to take on rising star Askar Askarov. Although this fight is a prelim, it has significant implications in the title picture at 125. Benavidez is infamously 0-4 in UFC title fights, so it would be hard for me to imagine him getting another. But a win over Joe for Askar would vault him into #1 contender status. Askarov is an undefeated prospect at 13-0-1. He defeated Tim Elliot and Alexandre Pantoja to earn his #3 ranking in the division. The only stumble of his MMA career was a draw against current Title Challenger Brandon Moreno. I’m picking Askar just in hopes of shining a new light on the division. Fresh contenders please!
Prediction: Askarov, Unanimous Decision
Hoops & Hooks 2021 Predictions: 17-9 (BAM Baby!)
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