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Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz will collide in an epic light heavyweight title clash at UFC 259 this weekend. We have officially entered fight week for UFC 259, and, in keeping with tradition, the promotion has once again released its countdown documentary for the PPV.
UFC 259 boasts an electric card featuring not one, not two, but three title fights. Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz headline the card. In his light heavyweight debut, Adesanya will take on Polish knockout artist as he attempts to become a two-division UFC champion.
The UFC 259: Countdown documentary beautifully captured the journey of Adesanya and Blachowicz thus far, heading into this fight. The training camps, the blood, the sweat, and the tears leading into the fight have been captured perfectly.
Fans get to witness what goes on behind the scenes as fighters prepare for an event. They also get a never-before-seen insight into the gameplan of the two competitors. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five things we learned about Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya from UFC 259: Countdown.
5. Both Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz are family men
When Jan Blachowicz returned to Poland after becoming the light heavyweight champion, he was treated like a national hero. He is followed by large crowds of people wherever he goes and enjoys it. However, there's one thing he loves more, and that's being a father.
Blachowicz has recently been blessed with a baby boy and says that his newborn motivates him to work twice as hard as he's ever worked to provide for his family.
Israel Adesanya is very close to his parents, and as a mark of his gratitude towards them, the Nigerian-born Kiwi gifted them a brand new Porche car. He says that it's a sign of success in his culture, and he wants to keep spreading love and joy to his family.
4. Israel Adesanya isn't a stranger to moving up weight classes
Those who think Israel Adesanya impulsively decided to move to light heavyweight to challenge a second title are mistaken. The undefeated fighter knows what he's doing, and it's not the first time he's done it.
During his kickboxing days, Adesanya moved as far up as heavyweight to challenge a world-class fighter. Adesanya knows that his reach, agility and precise striking will give him an edge against light heavyweights.
He wants to prove to the world that technique and skill and not power and size win fights. He will get his chance to do so at UFC 259.
3. Jan Blachowicz is specifically preparing to counter Israel Adesanya's unorthodox fighting style
Jan Blachowicz is a smart fighter. He knows that Israel Adesanya's unorthodox fighting style is bound to cause him problems inside the octagon. To deal with that, the Polish champion has enlisted the services of undefeated boxing champion Izu Ugonoh.
Ugonoh will be able to give Blachowicz different looks during their sparring sessions and help him prepare for Adesanya's prolific striking. Ogonoh has been trying to imitate Adesanya's style during the sparring sessions and Blachowicz believes he's ready to take on The Last Stylebender.
The moment he gets a hold of Israel Adesanya's movement, Blachowicz claims he'll put the middleweight champ to sleep.
2. Israel Adesanya is preparing to go the distance at UFC 259
To increase his stamina for the latest challenge at light heavyweight, Israel Adesanya has started working with a new breathing coach, Dave Wood. Wood is putting Adesanya through rigorous sand training so that he never runs out of gas in his upcoming battle against Blachowicz.
Adesanya has to gain weight to move up to light heavyweight and he has to be wary of managing his gas tank effectively during the fight. Adesanya believes that a fighter can change the course of a fight with the way he breathes. He is looking to put his new breathing techniques to good use at UFC 259.
1. Jan Blachowicz embraces natural extremities to be in the best shape for his title defense
Imagine the level of razor-sharp focus and sheer determination one needs to possess to be able to bathe in a frozen lake under sub-zero temperature. Well, for UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, it's no big deal.
The champ believes that taking ice baths will help with his recovery, mental training, overall cardio, and also increase his stamina. The fact that he can bear such extreme natural conditions with a smile on his face shows Jan's toughness as a fighter. No matter what, he will leave it all inside the octagon to try and defend his belt.
Expect a firecracker of a contest in the main event of UFC 259 this weekend.
