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Israel Adesanya has revealed that he might weigh in at as low as 193 pounds for his 205-pound fight against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Adesanya noted that weighing in this light might be his way of getting in a low-key flex ahead of the all-important UFC light heavyweight title fight.
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to move up to the light heavyweight division and fight its current champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 (March 6th, 2021). The fight will be contested at light heavyweight for Blachowicz’s title, and it would require Adesanya and Blachowicz to weigh in at 205 pounds or lower at the UFC 259 official weigh-ins.
Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Ariel Helwani, Israel Adesanya shed light upon his weight. In response to being questioned about how much he expects to weigh on Friday morning at the UFC 259 weigh-ins, Israel Adesanya stated:
“I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna keep the same energy during my fight week. I’m not gonna go crazy and f**king order Uber Eats and cakes and whatever. I’m just gonna keep the same energy, gonna use my guide Jordi (Sullivan) nutrition. Gonna use Jordi to fuel me this whole week. Kai (Kara-France) is hopping in the sauna on the bath, so I’m gonna do the same thing like I always do. Mainly just for my routine, my mind; it’s not a superstition thing. My body just knows what it does. My body knows it’s fight week already, so it’s gonna start dropping weight because this is what my body does. My body just realizes, ‘Oh, yeah. This is what we’re doing’. So, I’m just gonna keep the same energy. I’m not gonna change anything different and then start to like get all crazy, and, yeah. Don’t be surprised if I weigh in at like 193. Yeah, don’t be surprised.”
“Put it this way: I can still make 185 if I have to.” Responding to Ariel Helwani asking whether he’s put on any muscle or changed his training for this fight, Israel Adesanya suggested that he hasn’t. Adesanya said, “Same flex, baby. Yeah, same thing. Yeah, there’s nothing, it’s just silly to me when people decide to go ‘add more muscles’ to their frame that they’re not used to over the years they’ve been working this game. So, yeah, I don’t know. For me, I just do this thing different. I wanna bring it back to the rawness of martial arts, technique. So don’t worry about weight. Don’t worry about all that.”
“Yes, there’s a certain factor like I said. At a certain point, there’s a point where it becomes a favor for the other guy, but not this time. I don’t think he (Jan Blachowicz) is gonna put on enough weight to be an issue for me. And if he tries to, f**k, he’s gonna f**k himself over.”
Additionally, after Ariel Helwani questioned whether Israel Adesanya is trying to prove a point by weighing in as low as 193 pounds and still beating UFC 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz, Adesanya said, “Am I? That’s a good question. Maybe. Maybe it’s a low-key flex. Yes, a low-key flex.”
Furthermore, Israel Adesanya revealed how much he expects to weigh in on Saturday for his fight, stating, “195 maybe, maybe 200. But I think 195 would be closer to it.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Moreover, when asked if he would be concerned about Jan Blachowicz potentially weighing 220-225 pounds on fight night, Adesanya simply said that he’s fine with it.
Israel Adesanya is regarded as one of the most technically gifted fighters in combat sports
Be it kickboxing or MMA, Israel Adesanya has earned widespread praise for being one of the most technically proficient fighters in combat sports.
This, in turn, harks back to the point Israel Adesanya highlighted in his interview with Ariel Helwani. The Last Stylebender has time and again emphasized the importance of technique and skills in martial arts, adding that a size advantage isn’t good enough on its own to help a fighter win.
