Date set for Adesanya’s title ‘superfight’

Israel Adesanya’s bid to become a two-weight UFC champion has been locked in with the middleweight champion set to meet lightheavyweight title-holder Jan Blachowicz onMarch 7.

UFC president Dana White announced the news on ESPN, revealing the ‘superfight’ will take place at UFC 259.

A location has yet to be announced for the pay-per-view event, which also features the women’s featherweight title bout between champion Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson.

Adesanya is coming off another impressive year where he defended the middleweight belt twice, recording a unanimous decision over Yoel Romero in March before a dominant secondround TKO against Brazilian rival

Paulo Costa in September.

Having knocked out current No 1-ranked middleweight Robert Whittaker to unify the division in October 2019, and with no fresh challengers able to stake a claim for a title shot, the Nigerian-Kiwi sought a new challenge by moving up a weight class.

It didn’t take long for White to come around to the idea, with the bout in the works for the last two months.

Importantly, the fight avoids a clash with Junior Fa’s rescheduled boxing bout against Joseph Parker on February 27. Fa trains out of Auckland gym City Kickboxing and Adesanya’s head trainer Eugene Bareman is playing a key role in his preparations for Parker.

Blachowicz (27-8) will be making the first defence of his title against ‘The Last Stylebender’.

With long-time light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones vacating the strap for a move to heavyweight, Blachowicz captured the crown with a second-round TKO of Dominick Reyes in the co-main event of Adesanya’s win over Costa.

The Polish powerhouse turns 38 in February but after a slow start to his UFC career, he has come of age over the last three years. He has won eight of his last nine bouts, with three of his last four wins coming inside the distance.