LIVE!! Blachowicz retains the title against Israel Adesanya in a big upset!

 


UFC 259 goes down Saturday night from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The loaded card is headlined by a trio of championship fights, with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's bid to become a two-division champion when he challenges light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the main event.

Amanda Nunes makes her return to the Octagon in the co-main event as the two-division champion looks to defend her 145-pound title against rising contender Megan Anderson. Nunes has fought just once in the last 15 months due to minor injuries, COVID-19 protocols and the birth of her first child. Plus, the first title tilt to kick off the action will see bantamweight champ Petr Yan look to make his first defense of the 135-pound strap against top challenger Aljamain Sterling.

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The main card action kicks off at 10 p.m. ET and airs live on ESPN+ PPV.

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 259 below.

UFC 259 card and results


Official result: Jan Blachowicz def. Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45). Blachowicz retains the title in a big upset!

Blachowicz passed to half guard as Adesanya tried to scoot back to the cage. Blachowicz just kept throwing short punches while Adesanya couldn't find an escape. Blachowicz exploded with big strikes at the end of the fight, passing to mount. Big round and a great finish for the light heavyweight champ. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Blachowicz (48-47 Adesanya)

Adesanya connected with a spinning back kick to the body and Blachowicz returned with a right hand. Blachowicz ducked under an Adesanya punch for a big double-leg takedown to put the fight back on the floor.

Light Heavyweight Championship -- Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Israel Adesanya -- Round 5: Adesanya landed leg kicks early and Blachowicz returned the favor. Blachowicz landed a sharp jab and missed with a sweeping hook. Blachowicz again landed a good jab. Adesanya came over the top landing a right hand with Blachowicz seeming to be fatiguing badly.

The round came to a close with Blachowicz still on top. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Blachowicz (39-37 Adesanya)

Blachowicz advanced to half guard, starting to work some punches from top position. Blachowicz remained heavy on top, keeping Adesanya from escaping back to his feet. Blachowicz advanced to side control and landed some good punches.

Blachowicz continued landing a few more punches, having his best stretch of the fight. Adesanya landed a nice right hand and then a left elbow, leading Blachowicz to drive forward and score a big takedown.

Light Heavyweight Championship -- Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Israel Adesanya -- Round 4: Adesanya landed a few punches early and Blachowicz drove forward, trying to attack the legs for a takedown. Adesanya managed to escape, but did eat a right hand on the way out and Blachowicz followed up with another big right hand and a few good jabs.

Blachowicz landed a heavy jab and then a good left hook as Adesanya came forward. Blachowicz again clinched up and drove Adesanya into the cage. Adesanya was able to escape from the position without being taken down yet again. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Adesanya (30-27 Adesanya)

Adesanya landed a heavy kick to the body and Blachowicz clinched up. Adesanya drilled Blachowicz with punches to the side of the head to force the break. Blachowicz missed a head kick and ate a few hard, straight punches from Adesanya, snapping the head back. 

Light Heavyweight Championship -- Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Israel Adesanya -- Round 3: Blachowicz managed to land a good left hook and charged forward with a series of punches before scoring a takedown. Blachowicz nearly scored a rear-naked choke but Adesanya escaped and they traded big shots with Adesanya buzzing Blachowicz visibly.

Blachowicz threw a flying knee that missed but continued into a good body kick. Blachowicz nearly landed a big right but Adesanya closed the round with a few more leg kicks. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Adesanya (20-18 Adesanya)

Blachowicz landed a body kick and Adesanya threw a body shot. An Adesanya kick landed to the cup of Blachowicz, leading to a brief break in the action.

Adesanya slipped to the canvas after a missed head kick but got to his feet without any danger. Adesanya continued throwing to the legs but Blachowicz clinched and nearly got the fight to the ground before Adesanya broke free.

Light Heavyweight Championship -- Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Israel Adesanya -- Round 2: Adesanya opened with more feints, as he poked with a few punches and landed a leg kick while Blachowicz missed with some punches. Blachowicz got in a slight right hand but it had no effect. Adesanya landed a good left hand but Blachowicz landed a right hand and a good kick to the body. Adesanya missed with another head kick and then landed to the legs.

Adesanya landed again to the legs after missing another head kick. A slow round comes to an end with neither man making a big statement beyond Adesanya making it clear that his feints may dictate how the fight plays out. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Adesanya.

Blachowicz threw his own head kick, which Adesanya blocked. Both men continued throwing leg kicks, but Blachowicz started to mix in some kicks to the body. Adesanya landed his own front kick to the body, working off feints and trying to throw off Blachowicz's timing.

Adesanya again threw a leg kick and then went high with a head kick that Blachowicz picked off with his gloves. Blachowicz missed with a left hook. The pace remained slow, with both men being cautious early, feeling each other out. Adesanya went back to the head kick, but it was blocked again.

Light Heavyweight Championship -- Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Israel Adesanya -- Round 1: Adesanya switched stances immediately and landed a leg kick before avoiding a kick in return from Blachowicz. Blachowicz landed a leg kick moments later and poked with a jab to the body.

Both fighters are in the octagon. Introductions are done and it's main event time! Five rounds. Light heavyweight championship. Champion vs. champion.

No elaborate entrance for Adesanya. He takes a very straightforward walk to the Octagon for the biggest fight of his career, one that could define his legacy.

Up next, it's the main event. Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya vs. light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz for Blachowicz's 205-pound title.

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