At this weekend’s UFC 253 event, we will see one new champion crowned in the co-main event and a battle for gold between two undefeated fighters in the main event.
We will see Dominick Reyes take on Jan Blachowicz for the vacant Light Heavyweight Championship before we see Israel Adesanya take on Paulo Costa for the Middleweight Championship in the main event.
These two high profile title fights have been and will be, the talking points of the MMA world for some time.
Let’s see who is walking away from UFC 253 with the gold.
Reyes vs Blachowicz
The co-main event will be the fight to crown a new Light Heavyweight Champion and will take place between Jan Blachowicz who has been on the rise as of late, and Dominick Reyes the man who was last seen losing a split decision to the former champion Jon Jones. Both men have exceptional power on the feet and love to use it. Despite not being in MMA for as long as some of his peers, Reyes is already being viewed as one of the sport’s most sophisticated strikers. Reyes possesses real one-punch knockout power and has used it against names like Chris Weidman and Jared Cannonier.
On the same note, Jan has also shown his elite striking last knocking out Corey Anderson and Luke Rockhold. While neither of these two would prefer to go to the ground, the edge should certainly be to Jan. That said, this fight will likely stay on the feet until one man hits the mat.
The betting favorite is currently Reyes who will take his second straight crack at capturing the gold but the veteran Blachowicz cannot be overlooked. This will likely be a stand-up brawl between two great strikers and one will walk out as the new Light Heavyweight Champion.
Adesanya vs Costa
The bad blood is real in this main event fight. These two have been exchanging words for the better part of two years and they will finally settle the score for the Middleweight Championship. Dating back to August of 2019, Costa defeated Yoel Romero to stake his claim as the number one contender for Adesanya’s Middleweight Championship. However, a biceps injury took him out of action at the time. Now both fighters are back and ready to prove they are the best Middleweight on the planet. Both men enter sporting undefeated professional records in MMA, but one will walk away from this fight with their zero in the loss column still intact, and the Middleweight title.
Unlike Adesanya’s last fight, also against Yoel Romero, there is no doubt that Paulo Costa will walk forward towards Adesanya and throw heavy strikes at him. Both men are elite strikers but in very different ways. Costa stands right in front of you, throws heavy shots, and wants you to crumble. Adesanya is much more of a passive but intellectual striker. He will pick his spots and throw efficient strikes. That being said, both men have knockout power just like the two men previously discussed fighting for the Light Heavyweight Championship.
We can expect Adesanya to move a lot during this fight, avoid being right in front of Costa at any point in time, and use lots of faints and quick strikes against Costa. Costa on the other hand will walk Adesanya down and throw everything he has at him in the hopes that he can knock him out. Adesanya is currently the favorite but an upset could very much be in store for these two fights.
These two fights will be incredible viewing. Not one, but two title fights with truly incredible strikers on both sides of the octagon is exactly what the casual and diehard fans love to see.
Expect fireworks this weekend at UFC 253.
Featured Image: UFC
