The Scout: UFC 259

Posted on March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 | Posted by The Scout

Jan Blachowicz vs Israel Adesanya

One of the most intriguing UFC bouts in recent years sees the light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (27-8) defend his title against the undefeated middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (20-0).

Adesanya has done it all in the middleweight division and his last fight domination of Paulo Costa (who many believed would trouble him) led to (or forced) his move up to light heavyweight.

It’s a brave move for The Last Stylebender who will be conceding the best part of 20 pounds to Blachowicz. Adesanya will have the clear speed advantage, but Blachowicz has him covered for power.

Israel is surgical with his striking and will be looking to move in and out of range, keeping himself at a safe distance throughout the fight. He’ll know full-well the damage Jan can inflict with a clean strike and we can expect his leg kicks to be a feature from the outset.

Blachowicz’ path to victory is simple; just land one power shot. He’ll need to avoid taking too much damage from Israel’s leg kicks and then get to work on closing the distance and turning this into a brawl. Any time spent grappling or in the clinch will be in his favour as well.

Adesanya will be stepping into the octagon against the heaviest and most powerful fighter he’s ever faced. I think we’ll see Israel on the retreat a lot as he attempts to control the distance, and ultimately the Polish Power proves too much of an overwhelming factor.

Suggested Bet: Jan Blachowicz by KO/TKO @ $4.50*

*Odds correct as at 3pm, 4th March 2021.

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