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A rematch awaits Israel Adesanya.
The UFC middleweight champion is all but certain to come up against a familiar foe in his next title defence, with the top of the division stacked with opponents he beat on the way to the title.
However, the picture of who might get thatnext shot will remain murky until this afternoon, when Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum meet in a Fight Night main event in Las Vegas.
Both fighters have a history with the Kiwi champion. Adesanya beat Gastelum by unanimous decision to claim the interim title in one of the greatest bouts in UFC history in April 2019. That fight set up a bout between Adesanya and Whittaker for the undisputed title in Melbourne in October that same year, where Adesanya stopped Whittaker in the second round in front of 57,000 people at Marvel Stadium.
Now, the two will meet in a headline bout with, according to Gastelum, another shot at the belt lying in wait.
"The winner of this fight gets the Izzy rematch," Gastelum said.
Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya fought for the interim UFC middleweight title in April 2019. Photo / Getty Images
"I believe so. If I get the win, get my hand raised, then I get the chance to fight for the title next.
"This is an opportunity for me to get back to where I was, which is at the top of the division. I want to be able to show that and confirm that to the rest of the world. What I already know is that I am one of the best."
Whittaker has been the consensus No 1 contender to the middleweight throne since Adesanya defended against Paulo Costa last October, however he's been made to work for another opportunity to strap the gold around his waist.
The 30-year-old New Zealand-born fighter has won both of his bouts since losing the title, against two of the division's top 10 fighters in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier, yet has one more hurdle to get past in order to book the rematch - which some have gone as far as suggesting Whittaker had no interest in.
"I don't know who does this stuff. If I ever find out, I'll give them a stern talking to," he said of those rumours.
Robert Whittaker lost the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in October 2019. Photo / Getty Images
Should Whittaker get his hand raised against Gastelum, the picture as to who deserves the next shot at Adesanya becomes much clearer. Should Gastelum win, it could remain murky for a while yet.
Gastelum, ranked at No 8 in the division, lost his two fights following his loss to Adesanya, including a loss to Till. His most recent bout was a win over Ian Heinisch, who was ranked No 15 at the time and has since fallen out of the rankings.
If Gastelum beats Whittaker, Marvin Vettori will have more of a claim to a title shot, with the boisterous Italian riding a five-fight win streak including wins over two top-10 opponents.
Israel Adesanya beat Marvin Vettori in April 2018. Photo / Getty Images
Vettori hasn't lost a bout since dropping a split decision to Adesanya in 2018 – Adesanya's second bout in the UFC – and has been campaigning for a rematch ever since. Now ranked at No 3 in the division, the UFC could see it fit to offer him his first shot at the gold if Gastelum topples Whittaker.
Last meeting with Adesanya: Second-round KO loss. October, 2019
Since then: Wins over Darren Till (6) and Jared Cannonier (4) by unanimous decision
Marvin Vettori
Ranking: 3
Last meeting with Adesanya: Split decision loss. April, 2018
Since then: Unanimous decision wins over Cezar Ferreira, Andrew Sanchez, Jack Hermansson (7) and Kevin Holland (12), and a submission win over Karl Roberson.
Kelvin Gastelum
Ranking: 8
Last meeting with Adesanya: Unanimous decision loss. April, 2019
Since then: Split decision loss to Darren Till (6), submission loss to Jack Hermansson (7), unanimous decision win over Ian Heinisch.
