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UFC heavyweight Francis NGannou predicts a third-round TKO win for Israel Adesanya against champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. The Predator tweeted his prediction and picked technique over physicality and power.
'Izzy by TKO in the third round. #UFC259,' Francis NGannou tweeted.
Francis NGannou is the current No.1 ranked contender in the UFC's heavyweight division. NGannou's opinion matters at UFC 259 because he has been in a similar situation before. The fight between Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachwicz is the battle of technique vs power. The Predator has been on the powerful side of the equation in his first attempt at winning the heavyweight title against champion Stipe Miocic. Power alone does not win fights against elite competition, and NGannou learned it the hard way after a lopsided decision loss against a far more skilled fighter in Miocic.
Israel Adesanya is set to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in tonight's main event headliner at UFC 259. Both fighters have very distinct fighting styles and speculation is at an all-time high a few hours before the fight.
Francis NGannou vs Israel Adesanya - Is it possible?
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is a -235 betting favorite in his attempt at capturing a second UFC title against the +187 underdog champion Jan Blachowicz (27-8 MMA, 10-5 UFC).
Major factors of intrigue surrounding the fight are the differences in fighting styles and physical attributes of both fighters. Adesanya is a masterful kickboxer who rarely gets hit, while Blachowicz is a power puncher who can shut the lights out with one clean shot. But Adesanya has prevailed in similar situations in his UFC career so far against explosive athletes like Paulo Costa and Yoel Romero.
Adesanya has also competed at heavyweight during his kickboxing career and if he can scale a mountain of challenges in Blachowicz, a further move up in weight is absolutely not out of the realm of reality, which may put him up against Francis NGannou. However, it does not seem a wise move in MMA considering size discrepancy and the grappling aspect of the sport.
