Israel Adesanya reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 287. Photo / Getty Images
Israel Adesanya reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 287. Photo / Getty Images
After reclaiming the UFC middleweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 287 on Sunday, Israel Adesanya will have plenty of offers floated around as to what his next assignment will be. Here are five of those.
Alex Pereira III
Record: 7-2 (4-1 UFC). Six wins by knockout. 1-1against Adesanya in MMA.
Could we see a third straight fight between the two? Possible, but it seems doubtful. UFC boss Dana White indicated after their second fight at the weekend that he expected Pereira to move up a division and compete at light heavyweight. It might be the smartest move for Pereira, who is a big middleweight and would benefit from less of a weight cut with the light heavyweight mark 9kg heavier than middleweight.
Adesanya has knocked back the idea of entertaining an immediate rematch with Pereira, too. Despite the selling factor as the two are now 1-1 in the UFC, immediate rematches are generally only given to long-time champions - unless there are no more deserving fighters in the division at the time. Middleweight has some options, so Pereira may need to go get a win against a top-five opponent to earn another shot at Adesanya - if he stays in the weight class.
Record: 24-6 (15-4 UFC). Nine wins by knockout, five by submission. 0-2 against Adesanya in MMA.
From a purely sporting standpoint, this is the fight that should be booked next if Pereira moves up in weight - maybe even if he doesn’t. Former middleweight champion Whittaker is the next-highest ranked fighter behind Pereira and holds wins over the guys ranked No 3 and 4. Since he moved up to the middleweight division in 2014, Whittaker has won 12 of 14 fights.
The issue? Those losses both came at the hands of Adesanya - one by knockout and the other a unanimous decision.
Whittaker has proven himself to be the next-best in the division, but it’s a much harder sell outside of the Australian and New Zealand market. Though, if the UFC was looking to do another big show Down Under this year, this bout is a ready-made headliner.
Israel Adesanya has a 2-0 record against Robert Whittaker. Photo / Getty Images
Khamzat Chimaev
Record: 12-0 (6-0 UFC). Six wins by knockout, five by submission.
If you’re looking simply at the competitive side of the UFC, there is no way Chimaev should be getting a shot at the UFC middleweight title. In his six UFC bouts (all wins), only two have been in the middleweight division - one of which was his debut - and neither came against a ranked opponent. He is currently ranked No 3 at welterweight, but seems intent on moving up a division and getting an immediate title shot rather than staying in the logjam of title contenders at the lighter weight class.
What Chimaev does have going for him is he is a proven finisher who legitimately enjoys being in high-action fights. He puts his foot on the gas from the opening bell and if the opponent can’t go with him, it’s generally a quick night at the office. He’s also a good trash-talker, and his strong grappling game could cause some issues for Adesanya.
If the UFC didn’t want to do either of the trilogy bouts above for whatever reason, Chimaev will probably be the one getting the call.
Dricus Du Plessis
Record: 19-2 (5-0 UFC). 10 wins by submission, eight by knockout.
Du Plessis is the hungry young lion in the division; middleweight’s fresh meat. The South African is on a five-fight winning streak since making his UFC debut in late 2020 - with four of those wins coming by stoppage. He broke into the rankings in 2022 with a win over Brad Tavares, then beat Darren Till and Derek Brunson to move to No 6 in the rankings.
Du Plessis is the highest-ranked middleweight Adesanya has not yet fought, and the wheels for that match-up were set in motion when, after defeating Pereira on Sunday, Adesanya referred to recent comments made by Du Plessis in which the South African questioned the authenticity of current or former African-born UFC champions Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and Francis Ngannou.
“I wanna whoop his ass so bad,” Adesanya said in reference to Du Plessis, though opting not to name the fighter in a bid to not help promote him. “I wanna do it in South Africa, or Nigeria, but he’s got to do work, he’s got to do something, show me something, so I can whoop that ass and I can show you history.
“I’ll remind you, because you got to choose your words wisely when you speak on people that have come before you, people that paved the way for you. You gotta pick your words wisely.
“If he does work and, I pray to God, he keeps winning, I will gladly drag his carcass across South Africa.”
A UFC event in Africa has been a topic of discussion in recent years and they might want to hold this fight to headline that, should the event happen sooner rather than later, but Du Plessis’ coach has since indicated his team would take the fight in August - a smart move to try and capitalise on the current situation.
Jan Blachowicz
Record: 29-9-1 (13-6-1 UFC). Nine wins by knockout, nine by submission. 1-0 against Adesanya in MMA.
If the UFC didn’t want either trilogy, or to put Du Plessis/Chimaev opposite Adesanya immediately, we could see something of a middleweight tournament when a new contender emerges. One scenario would be to put Whittaker against either Du Plessis or Chimaev, and Pereira (should he stay at middleweight) against the other. If Pereira opted to move up in weight, Marvin Vettori would be the likely opponent for the other.
Adesanya has been clear in his intentions to be an active champion ever since he claimed the interim belt in April 2019, so it doesn’t look likely that he would be looking to sit out while the division plays out. Though, if that was the case, Jan Blachowicz could be an interesting booking while the division is sorted out.
Blachowicz was the first man to beat Adesanya in MMA - when Adesanya moved up to challenge the then-light heavyweight champion. Blachowicz has thrown his hat in the ring to be next against Adesanya - this time at middleweight.
There is an angle to work with in the storyline of Adesanya getting one back over Blachowicz, but the Polish slugger has never fought at 84kg. This is the least likely option.
