With three title fights headlining the card, UFC 259 was expected to be one of the biggest events in 2021, and the show delivered in some ways. Yet it came up short in others.
At the top of the bill, light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz thwarted Israel Adesanya’s attempt to become a two-division champion as he successfully defended his title, and in the process, defeated one of the UFC’s biggest superstars.
Meanwhile, Amanda Nunes continued what might be the most impressive run in the history of the sport as she notched her 12th consecutive victory by dispatching Megan Anderson in such lopsided fashion that the odds on the fight — she was a 14-to-1 favorite — almost seemed underwhelming.