Israel Adesanya will attempt to become a two-division champion when he faces 205-pound king Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the booking to ESPN on Wednesday evening. UFC 259 takes place on March 6 and also includes a featherweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson, but the promotion has not yet announced a location for the event. Only seven fighters have been two-division UFC champions.
Adesanya is 20-0 to begin his professional career, including nine triumphs under the UFC banner. “The Last Stylebender” claimed the middleweight throne with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 and has since defended the title with victories against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.