UFC 259 Results: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya

UFC 259 staged three championship bouts at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on March 6, 2021. Jan Blachowicz defended the light heavyweight title against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes defended the women’s featherweight belt, and Petr Yan faced Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight championship.

Blachowicz turns back Adesanya’s challenge

Adesanya moved up in weight seeking a second championship, but Blachowicz combined effective striking with crucial takedowns and top control in the later rounds. The champion’s ability to hold position on the ground helped him close the fight strongly.

Blachowicz retained by unanimous decision, handing Adesanya his first professional MMA defeat. Adesanya’s middleweight title was not at stake, so he remained champion of that division despite losing the light heavyweight challenge.

Nunes finishes; Sterling wins by disqualification

Nunes submitted Megan Anderson at 2:03 of round one with a triangle-armbar sequence. The result preserved her featherweight championship and her position as a simultaneous two-division titleholder.

The bantamweight fight ended very differently. Yan struck Sterling with an illegal knee while Sterling was grounded in round four. Sterling could not continue, and Yan was disqualified at 4:29. Sterling became champion through the disqualification; the bout was not recorded as a no contest or a conventional knockout.

A 15-fight card beyond the championships

Islam Makhachev submitted Drew Dober, and Aleksandar Rakic defeated Thiago Santos by unanimous decision. Dominick Cruz beat Casey Kenney by split decision, while Kyler Phillips and Askar Askarov recorded important decision wins.

Kai Kara-France, Kennedy Nzechukwu, Amanda Lemos, Uros Medic and Trevin Jones supplied striking finishes. Sean Brady submitted Jake Matthews, and Tim Elliott won a decision over Jordan Espinosa. The ten preliminary bouts make the full event unusually deep, with meaningful results in several divisions alongside the three championship stories.

Complete UFC 259 results

• Jan Blachowicz def. Israel Adesanya — unanimous decision, R5, 5:00; retained light heavyweight title.
• Amanda Nunes def. Megan Anderson — submission (triangle armbar), R1, 2:03; retained women’s featherweight title.
• Aljamain Sterling def. Petr Yan — disqualification (illegal knee), R4, 4:29; won bantamweight title.
• Islam Makhachev def. Drew Dober — submission (arm-triangle choke), R3, 1:37.
• Aleksandar Rakic def. Thiago Santos — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Dominick Cruz def. Casey Kenney — split decision, R3, 5:00.
• Kyler Phillips def. Song Yadong — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Askar Askarov def. Joseph Benavidez — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Kai Kara-France def. Rogerio Bontorin — KO (punches), R1, 4:55.
• Tim Elliott def. Jordan Espinosa — unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Carlos Ulberg — KO (punches), R2, 3:19.
• Sean Brady def. Jake Matthews — submission (arm-triangle choke), R3, 3:28.
• Amanda Lemos def. Livinha Souza — TKO (punches), R1, 3:29.
• Uros Medic def. Aalon Cruz — TKO (punches), R1, 1:40.
• Trevin Jones def. Mario Bautista — TKO (punches), R2, 0:40.

Sources

UFC 259 official results; Sherdog: UFC 259 complete event record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 259, Mixed Martial Arts