UFC 259

UFC 259: Błachowicz vs. Adesanya was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.

Background

The event was headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between then champion Jan Błachowicz (also former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion) and UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. If successful, Adesanya would become the fourth man to be champion in two divisions simultaneously and fifth fighter overall (after Conor McGregor at UFC 205, Daniel Cormier at UFC 226, Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 and Henry Cejudo at UFC 238), as well as the eighth person overall to win a title in different divisions. This was the sixth time in UFC history that champions in different divisions fought for the same title, following UFC 94, UFC 205, UFC 226, UFC 232 and UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw. Former title challenger Glover Teixeira served as backup and a potential replacement for this fight.

A UFC Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the current champion Amanda Nunes (also the current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion) and former Invicta FC Featherweight Champion Megan Anderson served as the co-main event. The pairing was initially scheduled for UFC 256, but Nunes pulled out due to an undisclosed injury and the bout was postponed.

A UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between current champion Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling completed the triad of title fights. They were also scheduled for UFC 256, but Yan pulled out due to visa and travel issues, leading to the postponement.