On the whole, there are a total of five bouts on Saturday night’s UFC 259 main card. The main event is the light heavyweight championship between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. Also fighting for a title belt are women’s featherweights Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson. So too is the bantamweight UFC betting matchup between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. Additionally, two other fights will draw attention. Lightweights Islam Makhachev and Drew Dober will go at it. And then light heavyweights Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic are an appealing showdown.
UFC 259 Main Card:
| Date and Time: | Saturday, March 6, 2021, 10 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| UFC 259 Main Card TV Coverage: | ESPN+ |
Light Heavyweight Title Bout:
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jan Blachowicz | +185 |
| Israel Adesanya | -230 |
Israel Adesanya has a career sports betting record of 20-0. He is the UFC middleweight champion. Specifically, Adesanya can become only the fourth man to hold title belts from two different divisions. He is coming off a TKO win over Paulo Costa. Adesanya is regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Namely, Jan Blachowicz is the defending UFC light heavyweight champion. His career record is 27-8. Blachowicz is riding a four-bout winning streak. He is coming off a TKO win over Dominick Reyes.
Women’s Featherweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Amanda Nunes | -1250 |
| Megan Anderson | +750 |
Amanda Nunes is a prohibitive favorite for a very legitimate reason. Nunes is the first woman to be a current two-division champion. To show, she holds the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight divisions. She ranks as the greatest female fighter ever. In sum, Nunes has a career record of 20-4. She is coming off a unanimous decision to win over Felicia Spencer for the UFC women’s featherweight title.
Accordingly, Megan Anderson is a past Invicta FC Featherweight champion. Her career record is 11-4. Anderson is coming off a knockout win over Normal Dumont Viana.
Bantamweight Title Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Petr Yan | -110 |
| Aljamain Sterling | -110 |
Defending champion Petr Yan has a career record of 15-1 with the UFC Betting odds. Yan is coming off a TKO win over Jose Aldo for the UFC bantamweight title. By contrast, Aljamain Sterling has a mark of 19-3. He is riding a 5-bout winning streak. Sterling is coming off a submission win over Cory Sandhagen.
Lightweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Islam Makhachev | -335 |
| Drew Dober | +250 |
Islam Makhachev has a career record of 18-1. By contrast, Drew Dober has a career mark of 23-9.
Light Heavyweight Bout
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Thiago Santos | +138 |
| Aleksandar Rakic | -167 |
The matchup between Tiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic has championship implications. To show, both combatants are aspiring light heavyweight champions. The winner of this fight will have the inside track to a championship fight opportunity. Santos is quite popular with fans and brings a record of 21-8. Counter to that is Rakic’s mark of 13-2.
UFC 259 SBG Free Picks
It is not often that a defending champion is an underdog, but that is the case with Jan Blachowicz. And with plenty of good reason. Israel Adesanya has begun a career that could be of historic proportions. Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling has emerged as a top bantamweight threat. Petr Yan will have his hands full.
UFC 259 SBG Best Bets: Israel Adesanya and Aljamain Sterling.