MMA Weekly
UFC 259 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya comes in light for chance to be champ-champ
Saturday’s championship heavy fight card is set now that the UFC 259 weigh-in results are official. All three title fights got the green light on Friday with all six athletes in the championship bouts stepping on the scale within the first 25 minutes of the two-hour weigh-in window. While UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz weighed in at 205 pounds on the nose, the top end of the limit, his opponent took a remarkedly different approach. When most fighters get as big as possible and then have a drastic weight cut during fight week, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya didn’t follow the norm. He stepped on the scale at 200.5 pounds, pizza box in hand, in his quest to become a two-division champion. The UFC 259 co-main event features double-champ Amanda Nunes putting her featherweight title on the line against Megan Anderson. Nunes was first to the scale on Friday, weighing 145 pounds. Anderson was the last title fight athlete to the scale, weighing 144.5 pounds for the title tilt. The third championship bout on the UFC 259 fight card features bantamweight titleholder Petr Yan making the first defense of his belt. He’ll square off against No. 1 contender Aljamain Sterling after both easily made weight. Yan tipped the scale at 135 pounds; Sterling at 134.5 pounds. Askar Askarov misses weight for UFC 259 All but two fighters weighed in during the first 30 minutes of the two-hour window. Askar Askarov and Kennedy Nzechukwu had yet to weigh in with one hour and 30 minutes left. Askarov took to the scale with about an hour left during the weigh-in window. He missed weight by one pound, weighing 127 pounds for his flyweight fight with Joseph Benavidez. If Benavidez’s team agrees to the bout, Askarov would likely forfeit 20 percent of his fight purse to Benavidez to keep the bout intact. Nzechukwu was the final fighter scheduled on the card to the scale, making weight for his bout with just under an hour left during the weigh-in window. Glover Teixeira makes weight as UFC 259 main event back-up Light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira stepped on the scale after Nzechukwu, weighing 204.5 pounds. He will serve as an emergency back-up if anything happens to either of the UFC 259 main event fighters. It’s not often that a fighter pulls out after weigh-ins, although it has become a bigger concern during the pandemic, as COVID-19 protocols have forced several fighters out on the day of the event. TRENDING > Dana White says UFC will be first to open up to Texas crowds UFC 259 weigh-in results UFC 259 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya (200.5 pounds) UFC 259 Main Card (10p ET on ESPN+ Pay-Per-View) Main Event – Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Jan Blachowicz (205) vs Israel Adesanya (200.5)Co-Main Event – Women’s Featherweight Title Bout: Amanda Nunes (145) vs Megan Anderson (144.5)Bantamweight Title Bout: Petr Yan (135) vs Aljamain Sterling (134.5)Lightweight Bout: Islam Makhachev (156) vs Drew Dober (156)Light Heavyweight Bout: Thiago Santos (206) vs Aleksandar Rakic (206) UFC 259 Prelims (8p ET on ESPN and ESPN+) Bantamweight Bout: Dominick Cruz (136) vs Casey Kenney (136)Bantamweight Bout: Song Yadong (135.5) vs Kyler Phillips (136)Flyweight Bout: Joseph Benavidez (125.5) vs Askar Askarov (127)Flyweight Bout: Rogerio Bontorin (126) vs Kai Kara-France (125.5) UFC 259 Early Prelims (5:30p ET on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass) Flyweight Bout: Tim Elliott (125.5) vs Jordan Espinosa (126)Light Heavyweight Bout: Kennedy Nzechukwu (205.5) vs Carlos Ulberg (205)Welterweight Bout: Sean Brady (170.5) vs Jake Matthews (169.5)Women’s Strawweight Bout: Livinha Souza (116) vs Amanda Lemos (116)Lightweight Bout: Uros Medic (156) vs Aalon Cruz (155)Bantamweight Bout: Mario Bautista (135.5) vs Trevin Jones (134.5) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Israel Adesanya comes in light for shot at Jan Blachowicz (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube) UFC 259 weigh-in video: Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling (Subscribe to MMAWeekly.com on YouTube)