Key takeaways from UFC 259: Time to take Jan Blachowicz seriously

UFC 259 is in the books, and the stacked card did not disappoint.

Shocking upsets, bizarre endings, and a somber reminder that all fighters get to the end of the line eventually dominated the subplots after the action.

Here’s what we learned from UFC 259.

Size does matter

Jan Blachowicz scored the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya, which emphasized how difficult it is to move up the scales in the UFC.

For all the good Adesanya did, he couldn’t keep Blachowicz away or trouble Blachowicz with strikes. Though the fight seemed closer than the cards indicated, Blachowicz was the clear winner.

It is time to start taking Blachowicz seriously. He has been the betting underdog in his last three fights and rose to the occasion each time, with a chip on his shoulder.

Starting with his next fight, which Dana White said would be against Glover Teixeira, Błachowicz will get the respect he deserves in the midst of this career-defining run.

Time is up for Thiago Santos and Joseph Benavidez

After decision losses for both Thiago Santos and Joseph Benavidez, they’ve each lost their last three fights and are not looking any better for their efforts.

Benavidez may get the benefit of the doubt that Askar Askarov came in overweight, but it can’t be ignored that he hasn’t looked particularly good in his recent defeats. Askarov battered him, and that was off back-to-back beatings at the heavy hands of Deiveson Figueiredo.

Santos has all but squandered the momentum he had after he took Jon Jones to the limit a few years ago. Santos' loss to Aleksandar Rakic was not fun to watch and reinforced that the former title challenger is working his way down the ladder, with no clear indication he’ll break the skid.

If Santos and Benavidez can't get back in the win column soon, they might be out of the promotion.

A rough night for sportsmanship

During the prelims, Kai Kara-France slumped Rogerio Bontorin with a right hand that caused him to fall on his head and bent his neck. Though Bontorin recovered almost right away, referee Herb Dean had called the fight off, as Kara-France charged toward Bontorin in a provocative position. Bontorin then removed his mouthpiece and hurled it at the celebrating Kara-France, which all but ensures Bontorin will be on the back burner for future shows.

Even worse was the conclusion of the Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling fight.

Yan had the fight won, but let the heat of the moment get the better of him, when he landed a savage cheap shot after restraining Sterling’s hands and delivering a knee to the face.

That moment of stupidity earned Yan a deserved disqualification, which makes Sterling the first UFC champion to win a title via DQ.