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UFC 259 to be headlined by three thrilling world championship bouts

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to deliver its most stacked Pay-Per-View event of 2021 so far, headlined by a trio of world championship bouts in UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya on March 6 at APEX.

UFC 259 to be headlined by three thrilling world championship bouts

Las Vegas, February 26: The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to deliver its most stacked Pay-Per-View event of 2021 so far, headlined by a trio of world championship bouts in UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya on Saturday, March 6 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

First up, in the main event, newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz makes his first title defense against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who aims to become only the fifth fighter to simultaneously hold belts in two UFC weight classes.

Blachowicz captured the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship with a spectacular TKO victory over Dominick Reyes in September. The No. 14 ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter has also earned impressive KO wins against Corey Anderson, Luke Rockhold and Ilir Latifi. Blachowicz now attempts to cement his reign by securing his first successful title defense.

No. 3 ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter Adesanya quickly turned heads upon joining the UFC roster in 2018. He has since secured his spot atop the middleweight ladder with sensational KO victories over Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson. Adesanya now aims to etch his name in the history books by becoming a two-division UFC champion.

In the co-main event, two-division titleholder Amanda Nunes puts her UFC featherweight championship on the line against talented striker Megan Anderson.

The greatest female fighter in combat sports history, Nunes looks to continue building her legacy by securing her seventh overall UFC title defense -and second in the featherweight division. So far she has earned stoppage wins over former champions Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, Cris Cyborg and Miesha Tate.

Former Invicta FC featherweight champion Anderson is poised to send shockwaves throughout the MMA world if she can finish Nunes. A powerful kickboxer, she has delivered memorable stoppage victories over Cat Zingano, Norma Dumont and Zarah Fairn during her UFC run. Anderson now has her sights set on achieving her dream of UFC gold.

In the third title bout on the card, UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan looks to take out surging No. 1 contender Aljamain Sterling as he looks for another highlight-reel finish to secure his first successful UFC title defense.

Yan realized his goal of becoming UFC champion by delivering a thrilling fifth-round TKO victory over all-time great Jose Aldo last July. Currently riding an impressive 10-fight win streak, the No. 10 ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter has also netted KO wins against UFC Hall of Fame inductee Urijah Faber, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Teruto Ishihara.

Sterling hopes to make the most of his first title shot by becoming the first fighter to finish Yan. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former NCAA Division III wrestling standout, Sterling holds notable submission victories over Cory Sandhagen, Cody Stamann, Johnny Eduardo and Takeya Mizugaki. Sterling now attempts to secure his biggest win yet to capture UFC gold.


Additional bouts on the card include:


• No. 14 ranked lightweight contender Islam Makhachev looks to defend his spot on the 155-ladder when he takes on dangerous finisher Drew Dober.

• Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and No. 2 ranked contender Thiago Santos locks horns with No. 4 Aleksandar Rakic.

• Former UFC bantamweight champion and No. 11 ranked contender Dominick Cruz looks to stop the momentum of surging Casey Kenney.

• No. 14 ranked bantamweight contender Song Yadong aims to push his unbeaten streak to 10 bouts when he faces The Ultimate Fighter season 27 veteran Kyler Phillips.

• Former UFC flyweight title challenger and No. 2 ranked contender Joseph Benavidez squares off with undefeated No. 3 Askar Askarov.

• No. 15 ranked women's strawweight contender Livinha Souza takes on rising prospect Amanda Lemos.

• No. 12 ranked flyweight contender Timothy Elliott goes for another show-stealing performance against Jordan Espinosa.

• Kennedy Nzechukwu takes on unbeaten newcomer Carlos Ulberg in an exciting light heavyweight bout.

• Sean Brady faces Jake Matthews in what promises to be an entertaining welterweight bout.

• Rogerio Bontorin meets Kai Kara-France in a clash of No. 8 ranked flyweight contenders.

• Dana White's Contender Series signees collide when Uros Medic meets Aalon Cruz at lightweight.

• Mario Bautista steps in to face Trevin Jones at bantamweight.


UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya will take place Saturday, March 6 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas and will stream live on Pay-Per-View, exclusively through ESPN+ in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT in both English and Spanish. ESPN+ is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the U.S. as part of an agreement announced in 2019.

Fans will be able to purchase the PPV online at ESPNPlus.com/PPV or on the ESPN App on mobile and connected-TV devices. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more.

Preliminary fights will air nationally in English on ESPN and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, as well as being simulcast in both languages on ESPN+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+ (in English and Spanish) at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Source: Press Release

Story first published: Friday, February 26, 2021, 11:14 [IST]
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