When it comes to fighting cards, they don’t get much bigger – or better – than what we have for UFC 259. With three championship fights and a series of current and former champions and title challengers from top to bottom, it’s easy to see why the MMA world is eagerly awaiting action from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
In the main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya heads to the light heavyweight division to challenge the 93kg champion, Jan Blachowicz, in Pol’s first title defense. The main co-fight features Amanda Nunes, champion in two divisions, defending their women’s featherweight title against Megan Anderson. Bantamweight champion Petr Yan will also defend his 135-pound title on the card, facing top contender Aljamain Sterling.
This card is as big as it can be, too. Despite the countless problems that affected UFC matchmaking during the pandemic, this card managed to keep 15 fights available with everything from fighters making their UFC debut to ex-champions and title challengers looking to get back to the top.
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With so much going on Saturday night, let’s take a closer look at the full fight card with the latest odds from the William Hill Sportsbook before we get to our team’s predictions and picks for the PPV part of the festivities.
UFC 259 fight card, odds
- Israel Adesanya -230 vs. Jan Blachowicz (c) +190, light heavyweight championship
- Amanda Nunes (c) -1100 vs. Megan Anderson +700, women’s featherweight championship
- Petr Yan (c) -120 vs. Aljamain Sterling +100, bantamweight championship
- Islam Makhachev -410 vs. Drew Dober +320, light weights
- Aleksandar Rakic -160 vs. Thiago Santos +135, light heavyweights
- Casey Kenney -135 vs. Dominick Cruz +115, cock weight
- Song Yadong -150 against Kyler Phillips +125, bantamweight
- Askar Askarov -125 vs. Joseph Benavidez +105, flyweights
- Amanda Lemos -220 vs. Livinha Souza +180, female strawweight
- Jordan Espinosa -125 vs. Tim Elliott +105, flyweights
- Carlos Ulberg -240 vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu +200, light heavyweight
- Sean Brady -210 vs. Jake Matthews +175, welterweights
- Kai Kara-France -135 vs. Rogerio Bontorin +115, flyweights
- Uros Medic -170 vs. Aalon Cruz +145, light weights
- Mario Bautista -230 vs. Trevin Jones +190, bantamweight
With such a massive main event on tap, the CBS Sports team went ahead with predictions and choices for the main card. Here are its decision makers: Brent Brookhouse (combat sports writer), Brian Campbell (combat sports writer, co-host of “Morning Kombat”), Matthew Coca (producer), Jack Crosby (editor), Michael Mormile ( producer) and Brandon Wise (senior editor).
UFC 259 choices, predictions
| Blachowicz (c) vs. Adesanya | Adesanya | Adesanya | Adesanya | Blachowicz | Adesanya | Adesanya |
| Nunes (c) x Anderson | Nicholas | Nicholas | Nicholas | Nicholas | Nicholas | Nicholas |
| Yan (c) vs. Sterling | Yan | Sterling | Sterling | Sterling | Sterling | Yan |
| Makhachev vs. Dober | Makhachev | Makhachev | Makhachev | Makhachev | Dober | Makhachev |
| Rakic x Santos | Saints | Saints | Rakic | Rakic | Saints | Rakic |
| Records to Date (2021) | 6-3 | 6-3 | 6-3 | 5-4 | 5-4 | 2-7 |
Campbell explains why Adesanya will win: This has everything to be a unilateral demolition, even with the legitimate threat that Blachowicz, 38, brings in the form of high-level energy. Expect Adesanya’s speed and accuracy to be an issue as long as this fight lasts. “The Last Stylebender” is taller and longer, despite being the fighter who is going up in weight and as long as he avoids the clinch while fighting with his back against the cage, this has everything to be a spectacular statement for the division light heavy weight.
Brookhouse on why Adesanya will win: Blachowicz’s path to victory involves somehow hitting a knockout with just one shot or using his strength advantage to completely nullify Adesanya’s hit. There is a huge chasm in the hitting technique between the two men, so Blachowicz needs to figure out how to get around this. Simply put: I don’t think he can. Adesanya is a next level standing talent. As long as it does not go completely into its shell and does not have aggression as in the fight against Yoel Romero – worst performance of the career for Adesanya – Saturday night should see the crowning of a king of two divisions.
Campbell explains why Nunes will win: Anderson is anything but an inflated bantamweight, which makes this fight potentially interesting if the 6-foot-tall featherweight contender is able to set up her jab from a distance and set up her powerful right hand. The problem, of course, is that Nunes is the GOAT for a reason and methodically eliminated any form of failure in his game. Nunes’ advantage on the ground should make the difference here, in case Anderson is able to strike evenly. “Leone” may have to work a little harder than the betting odds suggest, but a submission to the champion still seems inevitable.
Campbell explains why Yan will win: It’s as big a fight on paper as the UFC could do in any weight category. In the end, despite the chances of choosing, something has to give in this confrontation and Yan’s devastating standing game can prove to be the difference the later the fight is over. As strong as Sterling is on the ground, making Yan’s falling defense a crucial part of his chances of victory, Aljo simply cannot negotiate with the champion on equal terms for long. There is no lack of potential for this to be a five-round thriller and for Yan to win.
Brookhouse on why Sterling will win: Yan has an advantage in his feet if there are long stretches where men enter long boxing spurts. But Sterling is good enough with his feet not to be completely overwhelmed. The difference here is Sterling’s ground game. Yan can talk as much as he wants about the talented fighters he trains with. Do you know who else trains with talented grapplers besides being a high-level grappler? Cory Sandhagen. It took Sterling less than 90 seconds to put Sandhagen on the ground, advance position and sink in a choke. Yan has yet to face someone like Sterling in the UFC, with his grappling style and who was also standing out as a fighter. Yan is talented and this is a fight chosen for a reason, but Sterling will bring dimensions that Yan has yet to prove he can handle.
Find out why Rakic will win: Despite the recent trend of older fighters to remain relevant and struggling to reach the top of the sport in some cases, this is a difficult sale for Thiago Santos. Rakic is a younger version of what Santos brought to the table and comes without the damage that the Brazilian suffered. Santos looked back on their first fight against double knee surgery against Glover Teixeira and it seems that the kilometers are starting to add up for the 37-year-old. Expect the two men to blitz for the quick knockout, but Rakic is too quick and evasive to be caught by one of those bombs.
Who will beat Blachowicz against Adesanya, and which underdog is a mandatory defense? Visit SportsLine now for details on all fights at UFC 259, from the incomparable specialist who has won over $ 21,000 in MMA over the past 25 months, and find out.