UFC 259

Zuffa LLC

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: (R-L) Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Makana A Viloria, Writer
March 31, 2021

UFC 259! This pay-per-view event took place Saturday, March 6th, 2021, and featured one of the most stacked fight cards of the year. In the main event, the Middleweight champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya moves up in weight to dethrone the Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz in hopes of becoming the 5th double champ in history of the UFC.

In this handout image provided by UFC, Islam Makhachev works for a submission against Drew Dober in their lightweight fight during the UFC 259 event... This is Jan’s first title defense after knocking out Dominic Reyes for the vacant Light Heavyweight Belt just last year. This Fight Card was absolutely stacked and featured a total of four champions and three title fights. The main event featured Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya Vs the Light Heavyweight Champ Jan Blachowicz, double champ Amanda Nunes defending her Featherweight title against Megan Anderson, and Petr Yan defending his Bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling. Aside from the strong champions, this fight card featured rising star Islam Makhachev, Kai Kara France, former title contenders Thiago Santos and Joseph Benavidez, and former Bantamweight champ Dominic Cruz.

Aleksandar Rakic of Austria punches Thiago Santos of Brazil in their light heavyweight fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021...

The first fight of the main card took place in the Light Heavyweight division #2 ranked Thiago Santos took on #4 ranked Aleksander Rakic. In a back and forth brawl Aleksander Rakic would win via decision after the 3rd round. The second fight of the main card took place in the lightweight division. Islam Makhachev took on Drew Dober. Islam Makachev dominated this fight with multiple submission attempts and control. Islam Makhachev would end up winning the fight via submission in the 3rd round.

Petr Yan of Russia delivers an illegal knee against Aljamain Sterling in their UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC...

Our first title fight of the night took place in the Bantamweight division with Petr Yan making his first title defense after defeating Jose Aldo for the vacant Bantamweight title last year. Petr “No Mercy “ Yan took on #1 ranked bantamweight Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling. In a back and forth fight Petr Yan would be disqualified after hitting Sterling with an illegal knee to the head in the fourth round. With Aljamain Sterling unable to continue the fight he was awarded the DQ win and became the new Bantamweight Champion.

Amanda Nunes of Brazil reacts after her victory over Megan Anderson of Australia in their UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 259...

Our co-main event featured the double champ Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes defending her Featherweight title against Megan Anderson. Nunes came into the fight as a -1250 betting favorite. Nunes would absolutely dominate Anderson, out striking her and ultimately submitting Anderson in the first round.

Now for the main event, Middleweight Champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya moves up in weight to fight Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz in hopes of becoming the 5th ever double champion. In a back and forth fight it was 2-2 going into the 5th round. Yan ultimately won the last round by using his elite striking and wrestling to control Adesanya. This would be what ended up helping Yan win the fight and successfully defending his title for the first time. UFC 259 was a great showcase for the sport of MMA. Multiple title defenses and 1 new champion crowned in this event. UFC 259 will go down as one of the biggest fight cards of the year.