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UFC 259 is live from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. The headliner is a light heavyweight championship fight between the 27-8-0 champion Jan Blachowicz, and the undefeated 20-0 middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. There are five fights on the main card, four on the preliminary card, and six on the early preliminary card that starts at 5:30 p.m. ET live on UFC Fight Pass.
We’ll be tracking all the results tonight. Below you’ll find the winner, how they secured a victory, and adding gifs, and video of exciting moments or stoppages where we can. Make sure to follow along throughout the evening!
Jan Blachowicz (C) vs. Israel Adesanya: Light Heavyweight Championship
Winner: Jan Blachowicz
Winning Method: Jan Blachowicz wins by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-45).
Normally we’d say AND STILL... but with this one it’s more like andstill. A pretty dull fight after an interesting card, and credit to Adesanya for attempting to challenge himself by taking on a UFC champion that likely outweighed him by 15 pounds or so as they entered the octagon.
Blachowicz led on significant strikes 108-82, and had a 7:06-0:01 lead in ground control with the only three takedowns of the bout. It wasn’t exciting, but it got the job done.
Amanda Nunes (C) vs. Megan Anderson: Women’s Featherweight Championship
Winner: Amanda Nunes
Winning Method: Amanda Nunes wins by submission (armbar) at 2:03 of the first round.
“A non-event” according to the broadcast crew. She’s simply not participating in the same sport as everyone else.
AMANDA NUNES, THE GOAT pic.twitter.com/vP6wUl9jbi
— Claudinho & Bullschecha ❼ (@bullschecha) March 7, 2021
Petr Yan (C) vs. Aljamain Sterling: Bantamweight Championship
Winner: Aljamain Sterling
Winning Method: Aljamain Sterling wins by disqualification due to an illegal knee at 4:29 of the fourth round.
It was clearly an illegal knee from Yan, and this is the only way it could be decided. But Aljamain Sterling took the belt and left it in the center of the ring, as he clearly didn’t want to win the belt that way.
Yan was ahead 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 on the scorecards as the fight was called.
Petr Yan was DQ’d following this illegal knee to the head of Aljamain Sterling... #UFC259 #MMATwitter pic.twitter.com/WQeZzuJeZ5
— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) March 7, 2021
Islam Makhachev vs. Drew Dober: Lightweight
Winner: Islam Makhachev
Winning Method: Islam Makhachev wins by submission (choke) at 1:37 of the third round.
An unusual choke, but it forces Dober to tap! Makhachev dominated the fight, with a 7:56-0:00 ground control advantage and the only two takedowns of the bout.
Masterclass d’Islam Makhachev : domination de la première à la dernière seconde, puis soumission.#UFC259 pic.twitter.com/kBKuMBYZud
— La Sueur (@lasueur_off) March 7, 2021
Thiago Santos vs. Aleksandar Rakic: Light Heavyweight
Winner: Aleksandar Rakic
Winning Method: Aleksandar Rakic wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Rakic wins via his 2:32 of fight control, despite his 42-31 significant strike deficit. Neither fighter had a takedown, and it was for sure a close one.
Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney: Bantamweight
Winner: Dominick Cruz
Winning Method: Dominick Cruz wins by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).
Cruz hangs on in what was an extremely close fight. He was outstruck by Kenney 66-63, but won on takedowns 2-0 with both of them in the third round, and the ground control of 2:07-0:26. The former champion gives a reason to stay in the UFC for now.
Song Yadong vs. Kyler Phillips: Bantamweight
Winner: Kyler Phillips
Winning Method: Kyler Phillips wins by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Phillips landed a massive head kick in the first round, and that looked like it might be it. But Yadong hung in only to come up short. Yadong led on significant strikes 56-53, but Phillips did on ground control 1:36-1:06. Credit Yadong for making a game effort to come back in the third round.
Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov: Flyweight
Winner: Askar Askarov
Winning Method: Askar Askarov wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
Aksarov had the only five minutes of fight control of the bout, and a 35-25 advantage on significant strikes. He stays undefeated at 13-0-1 as an MMA professional.
Rogerio Bontorin vs. Kai Kara-France: Flyweight
Winner: Kai Kara-France
Winning Method: Kai Kara-France wins by TKO at 4:55 of the first round.
Out of nowhere and just before the horn!
HE SLEPT HIM!!! @KaiKaraFrance beats the buzzer in round 1!! #UFC259 pic.twitter.com/MiqrQcQkaI
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) March 7, 2021
Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa: Flyweight
Winner: Tim Elliott
Winning Method: Tim Elliott wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25).
Good thing they paid those judges! For the first time this evening we go to the scorecards, but it was never in doubt. Elliott had fight control for 13:19 of the 15:00, and landed 20 significant strikes to six. Espinosa was a bloody mess at the end, but appeared to be ok.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Carlos Ulberg: Light Heavyweight
Winner: Kennedy Nzechukwu
Winning Method: Kennedy Nzechukwu wins by TKO at 3:19 of the second round.
What a fight, an absolute brawl from the beginning. And it ends with a vicious right hook. Ulberg was ahead 115-65 on significant strikes, and Nzechukwu didn’t even attempt one kick. But boy did it work out for him.
OUT COLD. Kennedy Nzechukwu connects with a BOMB to end it
— UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
[ LIVE on Fight Pass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/r8A0HnGknt
Sean Brady vs. Jake Matthews: Welterweight
Winner: Sean Brady
Winning Method: Sean Brady wins by submission (arm triangle) at 3:28 of the third round.
The 215 gets a winner at 170, as Brady forces the opponent he had dominated to tap. Brady at 8:08 of fight control and led on strikes 133-32.
PHILLY TOUGH.
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2021
@SeanBradyMMA locks in the RD 3 sub!
[ LIVE on @UFCFightPass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/vF2Eq8M1nO
Livinha Souza vs. Amanda Lemos: Women’s Strawweight
Winner: Amanda Lemos
Winning Method: Amanda Lemos wins by TKO at 3:39 of the first round.
The other Brazilian Amanda on tonight’s card with a monster shot to score the first round stoppage.
DROPPED WITH A JAB
— UFC (@ufc) March 6, 2021
Lemos was in control from minute one!
[ LIVE on @UFCFightPass, ESPN2, #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/k6i3SmwN1d
Uros Medic vs. Aalon Cruz: Lightweight
Winner: Uros Medic
Winning Method: Uros Medic wins by TKO at 1:40 of the first round.
In an embarrassing display by the referee, this fight should have been stopped a full minute before it was. A black mark on the sport here.
#UFC259 @joerogan @Jon_Anik @dc_mma #UROSMEDIC v #AalonCruz should've been stopped earlier than it did IMO pic.twitter.com/zBpgltoBUl
— Stoned Again Bro (@lightitupdawg) March 6, 2021
Mario Bautista vs. Trevin Jones: Bantamweight
Winner: Trevin Jones
Winning Method: Trevin Jones wins by TKO at 0:47 of the second round.
A TKO to start the UFC card!
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 6, 2021
Trevin Jones +155
pic.twitter.com/4gErjfLCUg
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