UFC legend Israel Adesanya shared his prediction for the UFC Belgrade co-main event between Jan Blachowicz and Navajo Stirling.
Adesanya fought Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 259 in March 2021, losing by unanimous decision. He was also a former longtime training partner of Stirling at City Kickboxing, the gym he trained at for 16 years before recently leaving due to needing a fresh start after losing four straight fights.
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So, with that in mind, Adesanya is the perfect guy to break down Saturday’s co-headliner between Blachowicz and Stirling in Serbia.
Israel Adesanya Shares Prediction for Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Adesanya shared his prediction for Blachowicz vs. Stirling.
“(Blachowicz) said that I hit the hardest because I rocked him at one point, but then he also veteranship, poker face, and when I rushed in for the kill, I think that was the first takedown. But also, I’m not Navajo. Navajo, he’s a better wrestler than me. He’s bigger. He knows how to use his weight, as well. There’s been rounds where he just like kept me on bottom and forced me to have to work, same way Jan did, so I don’t think he’s going to have an issue doing that to Jan,” Adesanya said (via MMAjunkie.com).
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“I think Nav being as active as he is, still fit, I’m sure Nav can be active in this. He can be active for three rounds, 15 minutes, easy. Jan will probably try and mix in the grappling straight away within the first round. They’ll be ready for the takedowns, they’ll be ready to stop the shot whenever he changes level because that’s normally when he gets the takedowns because while you’re punching, he’ll just change level. I think something that they’ll both be throwing are leg kicks. It’ll be battle of the leg kicks, who can get who first, because that’ll be important.”
Jan Blachowicz vs. Navajo Stirling Betting Odds
According to the betting odds the day before the fight, Stirling is a -335 betting favorite to beat Blachowicz, who is a +275 betting underdog.
Although Blachowicz is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and potentially a future UFC Hall of Famer when his career is over, he is 43 years old and is coming off a significant knee injury, so the oddsmakers don’t really like his chances to win this fight.
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Stirling, meanwhile, has been looking great as of late, with five straight wins in the UFC and finishes in his last two bouts. He looks like someone who could be a future UFC light heavyweight title contender in his own right, though he still has to go out there and prove it. Beating a respected veteran like Blachowicz would certainly be the first step towards Stirling breaking into the elite of the UFC light heavyweight division and getting closer to fighting for 205 lbs gold.
This should be a great fight, but if we are to listen to Adesanya, then it appears that Stirling has the slight edge heading into the bout.
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