Israel Adesanya plans to become a double-champ at UFC 259.
UFC president Dana White announced on New Year’s Eve that reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya would take on Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title in a ‘Champ vs. Champ’ super fight at UFC 259 on March 6.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed the matchup on Thursday, per White.
It’ll be Champ vs. Champ at UFC 259 on March 6. Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) vs. Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) for the 205 title, per Dana White. What happens in this one? pic.twitter.com/sdTRZ6Drnw
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 31, 2020
Adesanya, oozing with confidence, reacted to the booking by declaring he will become the UFC’s next two-division champion, confident that his championship fate has already been sealed and that he is destined to beat Blachowicz.
Champ2X pic.twitter.com/ZtiaJV7nju
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) January 1, 2021
“Champ times two! Champ squared. You already know!” Adesanya, who is undefeated at 20-0 (9-0 UFC), said in the video.
Blachowicz, the newly-crowned light heavyweight champ, had a slightly different reaction to the announcement.
Everything is agreed. I’m just waiting for the contract to sign it.
Charging #LegendaryPolishPower . https://t.co/MqavpgjkKO
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) December 31, 2020
“Everything is agreed,” Blachowicz posted. “I’m just waiting for the contract to sign it. Charging #LegendaryPolishPower.”
Expect contracts to be finalized in the coming days and more matchups to be announced in the following weeks.