- Jan Blachowicz beat
Israel Adesanya comfortably in theUFC 259 main event. - It was a fight too far for Adesanya, who dared to be great but came unstuck in unfamiliar territory.
- Watch video highlights from the light heavyweight title fight right here.
Jan Blachowicz derailed Israel Adesanya's quest to be the best with a signature win of his own Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Adesanya only made his UFC debut in 2018, won the UFC middleweight championship the following year, and was widely considered a top-three pound-for-pound caliber mixed martial artist in 2020.
The 31-year-old's meteoric rise in the sport had been compared to Conor McGregor's more than half a decade ago, and Adesanya had his own highlight-reel of knockouts, showmanship, and personality to match.
To start 2021, Adesanya ventured into a higher weight class as he challenged Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title - an opponent at least 20 pounds heavier than he is accustomed to.
But unlike McGregor, who achieved "champ-champ" status in 2016 when he added Eddie Alvarez's UFC lightweight championship to his featherweight belt, Adesanya failed to win two titles simultaneously this weekend.
Standing in Adesanya's way was Blachowicz, who has been the underdog in four of his last five UFC bouts - but has won them regardless.
Blachowicz is used to being the unsung hero but now nobody can doubt the Polish powerhouse as he adds the most notable scalp on his record with a five-round decision win over the 185-pound king.
The 205-pound division remains Blachowicz's domain, as he out-sized Adesanya during grappling exchanges, threw his opponent's feint attempts off with double jabs and
That is not to say Adesanya did not have his moments. He did - particularly in the opening rounds because of his faster hands.
However, by the bout's finish, Blachowicz had out-landed Adesanya by a ratio of 2:1 and was a worthy winner with scorecards of 49-46, 49-45, and 49-45.
See one of Blachowicz's highlight moments here:
—ESPN (@espn) March 7, 2021
Watch Blachowicz win the final round here:
—UFC (@ufc) March 7, 2021
"It was a tough fight," said Blachowicz after the win in a statement sent to Insider. "I think my boxing was a little bit better than his, my wrestling was much better than his. I won the fight and that's it, but it was a tough fight.
"I'm a true champion, I deserve what I got," he said.
Blachowicz said he has stopped listening to the people who continually write him off, casting him as the underdog in fights he wins comfortably.
Blachowicz even turned to Dana White, as the UFC boss wrapped the 205-pound championship belt around the fighter's waist, and said: "You don't believe in me."
The champion appears to be fighting for his respect, still
He said: "For me, the most important thing is what my family says, what my coaches say, what my friends say.
"What people that I never see in my life and what they say? Who cares?
"After I won, what do you say now? But anyway they are going to say it was luck or something like this. I don't care."
With victory, Blachowicz advanced his pro-MMA record to 28 wins (eight knockouts, nine submissions, and 11 decisions) against eight losses.
White addressed the press after the UFC 259 event and told the media about what Blachowicz said to him in the middle of the Octagon.
White said: "What the f--- did I do? These guys are crazy, man."