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Two losses in a row — what’s next for Israel Adesanya?
This is an opinion piece on former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya by guest writer Tony Nguyen. Views are his own and does not necessarily reflect those of Frontkick’s editorial team. Photo by Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports
Just a couple of bouts ago, Israel Adesanya was on top of the world. His post-fight speech after knocking out longtime rival Alex Pereira gave us all goosebumps and from there, Adesanya seemed to be destined for even more greatness.
Yet now, “The Last Stylebender” has lost three out of his last four UFC bouts.
That begs the question, what’s next for UFC star Israel Adesanya after falling short in a championship fight for the second time in a row? What really happened to one of the biggest MMA stars of the last few years – and where do we go from here?
Is age and damage finally catching up to Israel Adesanya?
It’s been ups and downs for Israel Adesanya as of late. After a tough loss against Alex Pereira in 2022, a rematch was scheduled and Adesanya was finally able to defeat his rival by a brutal KO in
the second round.
After this win, many thought Adesanya would go on another run in the middleweight division, but things didn’t go as planned.
His first title defense would be against Sean Strickland, who many thought would be an easy opponent for Adesanya. However, Strickland beat Adesanya in dominant fashion which became one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
The scorecards were 49-46 in favor of Strickland, and he was crowned the new middleweight champion of the world.
“When Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker to unify the middleweight belt, he looked unstoppable.”
Strickland ended up losing his title by split decision in his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis. With Strickland no longer being the champion, Adesanya saw this as an opportunity to reclaim the belt. After nearly a year off, Adesanya made his return to challenge du Plessis for the middleweight belt.
After a back-and-forth fight where the scorecards were even, du Plessis hurt Adesanya in the fourth round and was able to submit him with a neck crank. This marked the second loss in a row for Adesanya and fourth loss overall.
Adesanya is now 35 years old and 1-3 in his last four bouts. 35 to 36 is the age when most fighters would no longer be in their prime. Although that’s more of a rule for the lower weight classes, Adesanya has been in over 100 fights if we count his kickboxing matches. Is age and damage finally catching up to him?
When Israel Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker to unify the middleweight belt, he looked unstoppable.
Who’s next for the former UFC middleweight champion?
Since Adesanya already got a title shot after his loss to Strickland, it makes sense that he should rack up a couple of wins before potentially fighting for the belt again.
Who would be a fitting opponent for him?
The only ones Adesanya hasn’t fought in the top 5 is Nassourdine Imavov, and rising contender Caio Borralho who’ll likely be included in the next rankings update following his win over Jared Cannonier this past weekend. Could these be a potential matchups?
Another fight that many UFC fans want to see is Adesanya versus Khamzat Chimaev. He is undefeated with a record of 13-0-0 and holds a win over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Chimaev is scheduled to face Robert Whittaker and if he wins this fight, a match between him and Adesanya could make sense if Chimaev doesn’t get a title shot straight away since Strickland seems to be next in line for a rematch against du Plessis at the moment.
If Adesanya beats Chimaev, this would put him right under title contention again. However, if he loses that fight then it would mark the third loss in a row for him. What would be next after that?
Another option might be to go for fun fights out off left field, like a matchup against former light heavyweight champ Jiri Prochazka who is reportedly considering a move to middleweight. That’d certainly be an interesting clash of styles.
Many people think Adesanya has done enough in MMA and that retirement could be near. His next fight could determine it.
Author: Tony Nguyen
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