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There was no new inductee into the UFC's exclusive champ-champ club on Saturday night.

That's what this UFC 259 main event was all about, right? Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's quest to add the light heavyweight belt to become the fifth fighter to rule two weight divisions simultaneously and push toward becoming one of the biggest stars in MMA.

Jan Blachowicz? In the prevailing narrative leading into this superfight, the 205-pound champ was just a supporting actor, a role to which he has become accustomed -- and a role in which he has thrived.

In fact, it would have come as no surprise if, mixed in with his victory celebration, Blachowicz experienced a little déjà vu.

Going into UFC 259, Blachowicz had felt the familiar sensation of being overshadowed. Over the past several weeks, most of the attention had been on Adesanya and on the superstar opponent he was not facing in Jon Jones. Oddsmakers even installed Blachowicz as a rare underdog champion. Underdog status isn't anything new, either; Blachowicz has only been favored to win twice in his past 10 fights.

But Blachowicz simply went ahead and did what he has done again and again over the past 3½ years: He rose above expectations and made it his night.

Blachowicz is no stranger to being overlooked or seeing opportunity slip from his grasp, only to step confidently into our field of vision and assert his presence at a most opportune moment. As recently as the fall of 2017, he was 2-4 in the UFC and on the verge of losing his spot on the roster. He has won nine of his 10 bouts since then.

And yet, as Blachowicz, 38, was steadily rising through the ranks of light heavyweight contenders, the division's champion at the time, Jones, was looking in every direction but toward the powerful slugger from Poland. Jones had his eye on Adesanya, the middleweight champion with a fast-rising star and the potential to jump up in weight. Jones later set his gaze on the heavyweight division and its gigantic challenges, and that is where he eventually opted to steer his career, vacating the light heavyweight title.

Blachowicz then proceeded to capture the vacant title in September with an odds-defying second-round KO of Dominick Reyes. But even in taking possession of the belt, Blachowicz still felt the pang of opportunity lost. He is in this game to challenge himself, and there is no bigger challenge for a light heavyweight than trying to solve Jones.

It's impossible to ignore that MMA is fueled by star power and how defeating a superstar like Jones could have turbocharged Blachowicz's career.

Now we'll find out if defeating Adesanya, who entered Saturday's bout on the verge of superstardom himself, has a similar effect. It was not the most dynamic of victories for Blachowicz, lacking a signature highlight-reel moment, but handing a fellow champion his first loss is a significant achievement. Blachowicz faced still another challenge head-on and once again came out on top.

It clearly was Blachowicz's night in the end, but early on, the fight was an even back-and-forth tussle in which both men mostly kept their distance and exercised caution. Adesanya used his footwork to steer clear of the light heavyweight champion's power, and Blachowicz showed respect for the slick, all-angles attack of the middleweight champ, reacting to every feint and movement. Neither man severely hurt the other, but both felt the effects of several significant punches and kicks. And when the championship rounds finally arrived, Blachowicz took over and refused to surrender control.

The prevailing thought coming into the fight had been that Blachowicz's power would be the difference if he could land a big punch. But as things turned out, it was strength on the canvas that won Blachowicz this fight.

He spent the final three minutes of Round 4 on top of Adesanya, who never presented a serious threat to escape the position and get the fight back to standing. And midway through the final round, Blachowicz took the fight back to the mat, once again securing position on top of his challenger, again with no escape route.

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The bout ended with Blachowicz in full mount, the most dominant position in the sport, landing punches and elbows as the horn sounded. He took the unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 49-45 and the other seeing it 49-46. It was the first loss of Adesanya's pro MMA career. Blachowicz took the circumstances he was given and made the most of it.

This might not be the Blachowicz performance that will get Jones to come rushing back to the 205-pound division. Jones is expected to make his heavyweight debut this summer, challenging the winner of this month's title fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. Should Jones win the heavyweight championship, the 205-pound division likely would never see him again.

But if Jones' bid were to come up short, especially in a bad loss during his first fight against someone bigger than him, might he look back down toward light heavyweight and view Blachowicz through a new lens? Jones has made it clear, after all, that he looked elsewhere because he did not see the benefit of facing such a low-profile fighter. Blachowicz surely has raised his profile by handling Adesanya, the Nigeria-born New Zealand resident. It's a start.

Should circumstances send Jones his way, Blachowicz would welcome the challenge, even if it would take a bulked-up Jones some time to get back to 205 pounds.

'I believe in the future I will get that fight,' Blachowicz told ESPN's Brett Okamoto during the lead-up to this weekend's fight. 'If not in the UFC, I will go to Albuquerque and fight him in his gym. We will do this.'

For Blachowicz, that was just talk about future matchmaking. As he spoke those words, his focus was on Adesanya. But now that the middleweight champ is out of the way, Blachowicz's full attention will shift to the next man in line at light heavyweight. That would appear to be Glover Teixeira, who has won five fights in a row and at age 41 doesn't have a lot of time to wait.

Blachowicz is on board. 'I would like to fight Glover next,' he said.

That's the way Jan Blachowicz operates. He took care of business Saturday night, and now it's on to the next piece of work. He is the type to keep his head down and move forward, not distracted by fantasy matchups or being the A-side on the marquee. Being a champion is what he always dreamed of, and that's enough for him. For now.

There are three title fights on the card for Saturday’s UFC 259 in Las Vegas, headlined by the main event light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. The main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET at UFC APEX. Below, we look at BetMGM‘s odds for the full UFC 259 fight card.

Blachowicz enters as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion and will defend his title against middleweight champ Adesanya. In the penultimate fight of the night, Amanda Nunes defends her women’s featherweight strap against Megan Anderson. Petr Yan puts the bantamweight title on the line against Aljamain Sterling the fight before.

Stream and watch all of the UFC 259 action with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 259 odds: Main card

All odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:50 a.m. ET.

Jan Blachowicz (+195) vs. Israel Adesanya (-250)

Adesanya (20-0) is the heavy favorite with an implied win probability of 71.43% despite Blachowicz (27-8) being the incumbent champ in the higher weight class. A $10 bet on Adesanya to win would return a profit of just $4.

Also see:Blachowicz vs. Adesanya odds, picks and prediction

Amanda Nunes (-900) vs. Megan Anderson (+600)

Nunes (20-4) is the biggest betting favorite on the entire UFC 259 fight card with an implied win probability of 90.09% against Anderson (11-4). It would take a $900 bet in order to turn a profit of $100.

Also see:Nunes vs. Anderson odds, picks and prediction

Petr Yan (-120) vs. Aljamain Sterling (+100)

Yan (15-1) is only a slight favorite while defending his title against Sterling (19-3). This is the closest betting line on the UFC 259 card with Yan having an implied win probability of a modest 54.55%.

Also see:Yan vs. Sterling odds, picks and prediction

Islam Makhachev (-450) vs. Drew Dober (+330)

Makhachev (18-1) is the favorite against the more experienced Dober (23-9, 1 NC) in this lightweight bout. A $10 bet on Dober would return a profit of $33 with an upset victory.

Also see:Makhachev vs. Dober odds, picks and prediction

Thiago Santos (+140) vs. Aleksander Rakic (-165)

The main card begins with another light heavyweight battle between the division’s No. 2 challenger in Santos (21-8) and No. 4 in Rakic (13-2). The lower-ranked Rakic is the slight favorite with a 62.26% implied win probability.

Also see:Santos vs. Rakic odds, picks and prediction

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UFC 259 odds: Prelims

Dominick Cruz (+105) vs. Casey Kenney (-125)

Cruz (22-3) is a short dog in a bantamweight bout against Kenney (16-2-1) concluding the prelims. Kenney is unranked and trying to move up with a win against the No. 11 contender.

Song Yadong (-160) vs. Kyler Phillips (+135)

Yadong (16-4-1, 1 NC) is being given the edge and a 61.54% win probability against Phillips (8-1) in another bantamweight contest. Yadong is 14th in the division rankings.

Joseph Benavidez (+110) vs. Askar Askarov (-135)

Askarov (12-0-1) is the favorite in a flyweight battle with Benavidez (28-7). The two rank third and second, respectively, in the division.

Rogerio Bontorin (+115) vs. Kai Kara-France (-140)

Kara-France (21-9, 1 NC) and Bontorin (16-2, 1 NC) clash in another flyweight bout on the undercard. It would take a $140 bet on Kara-France to fetch a profit of $100 with a victory. A $100 wager on Bontorin nets a $115 return.

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UFC 259 odds: Early prelims

Tim Elliott (+100) vs. Jordan Espinosa (-120)

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Elliott (17-11-1) enters UFC 259 as the flyweight division’s No. 12 challenger and is a slight betting underdog against the unranked Espinosa (15-8, 1 NC). A $100 bet on Elliott to win would return a profit of $100 at even-money.

Kennedy Nzechukwu (+200) vs. Carlos Ulberg (-250)

Ulberg (5-0) is undefeated and favored over Nzechukwu (7-1) in the first light heavyweight bout of the night. Both fighters are unranked.

Sean Brady (-225) vs. Jake Matthews (+175)

Brady (13-0) battles Matthews (17-4) in a welterweight contest. A $100 bet on the underdog Matthews would return a profit of $175 with an upset victory but at implied odds of just 36.36%.

Livinha Souza (+190) vs. Amanda Lemos (-225)

The unranked Lemos (8-1-1) meets Souza (14-2) as a modest favorite in a women’s strawweight bout. Souza is the division’s No. 15 contender.

Who Won Ufc Fight Tonight

Uros Medic (-175) vs. Aalon Cruz (+145)

Medic (6-0) looks to stay undefeated as the favorite in a lightweight fight against Cruz (8-3). It would take a $175 bet on Medic to fetch a $100 profit.

Mario Bautista (-250) vs. Trevin Jones (+195)

UFC 259 begins with a bantamweight bout between the favored Bautista (8-1) and underdog Jones (12-6, 1 NC). Jones has an implied win probability of just 33.90%.

When is UFC 259?

The main card of UFC 259 is scheduled for Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. The main event should begin around midnight ET.

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Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET.

Where is UFC 259?

UFC APEX, Las Vegas

How/Where can I watch UFC 259?

Catch the entire UFC 259 fight card, including Blachowicz-Adesanya, on Pay-Per-View on ESPN+.

Sign up for ESPN+ now and don’t miss any of the action.

Where can I bet on UFC 259?

Get some action on UFC 259 by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM.

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