Jake’s Takes – we haven’t seen the last of Israel Adesanya at 205lbs

Following his UFC 259 title loss, most presumed that Israel Adesanya would stay at 185lbs to defend his middleweight belt. Though he has done that, is ‘The Last Stylebender‘ really done with the light-heavyweight division? Will we see him capitalise on his dream of holding two UFC titles?

This is my two cents on it all – this is Jake’s Takes!

***

Talks of reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s ascent to light-heavyweight had been present since his UFC debut. Having competed as high as heavyweight in kickboxing, many foresaw the Kiwi replicating his success in MMA. This is something that Adesanya himself had spoken on, but the long line of 185lb challengers were at the forefront of the champion’s mind.

UFC 253 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi was headlined by a championship doubleheader. While Adesanya made his second title defense against rival Paulo Costa, the vacant 205lb title was on the line in the co-main event. In a breakthrough performance, Jan Blachowicz finished Dominick Reyes in the second round to claim the light-heavyweight belt. Adesanya, meanwhile, easily dispatched of Costa over the course of two rounds.

With both champions fighting on the same card, rumblings of a Blachowicz vs Adesanya superfight began to capture the attention of fans. However, clear top contenders in Glover Teixeira and Robert Whittaker, respectively, were expected to receive title shots.

Despite that, the promotion went ahead and booked Adesanya to face Blachowicz for the 205lb strap. The fight served as the main event of UFC 259 in March 2021. A potential grudge match with UFC legend Jon Jones was also on the table for Adesanya, with a win.

Come fight night, the -240 favourite Adesanya would enter the Octagon with a calm intensity. Ultimately, over the course of five rounds, Poland’s Blachowicz would prove to be too much for his Nigerian counterpart. The loss would be the first of Adesanya’s professional MMA career.

While he did ensure that his 185lb return was in the immediate future, the middleweight champ did not at all rule out a second stint at light-heavyweight. Speaking at the post-fight press-conference, Adesanya said, “It was like a bad day in the gym but it was in the office tonight. It’s not a one off, I definitely will be back. Dare to be great.”

Since he suffered his lone defeat, Adesanya has defended his title two further times. Decision wins in rematches with Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker solidified the champ’s status as the top dog at 185lbs.

Back at 205lbs, Jan Blachowicz would be set up with divisional mainstay Glover Teixeira. Becoming the oldest first-time champion in UFC history, Teixeira – who currently holds the title – would rest the belt away from Blachowicz on Fight Island.

A title fight between Teixeira and contender Jiri Prochazka has been slated for May of this year. As for Adesanya, his next challenger is likely to be power-punching Cannonier. That middleweight title bout is expected to happen in June.

Should Adesanya pick up his fifth title defense against Cannonier, I would not be surprised if we see him making a second crack at 205lb gold. Personally, I think the UFC will be on the champ’s side if this is something he wants to try again.

Both title defenses are scheduled for the summertime. Booking two champions involved in a potential superfight is not uncommon for the UFC. This method was seen with bouts like Henry Cejudo vs TJ Dillashaw & Adesanya’s first light-heavyweight title bid against Blachowicz.

Another comparison that can be drawn from the aforementioned UFC 259 bout is the skipping of rightful contenders. Even though Aleksandr Rakic, Magomed Ankalaev and Anthony Smith are all worthy challengers at 205lbs, the promotion will have no issue brushing past them in favour of a superfight.

In terms of middleweight contenders, the division is lacking a clear top challenger outside of Cannonier. Once he has his title shot, Adesanya will have fought every top contender with a solid argument for a crack at the belt. In recent interviews, the champion has used words like “bored” to describe the state of the title picture.

“Last year was my, to be honest, most lackluster year in my UFC career, I feel”, he said, prior to his UFC 271 fight. “It was just two fights. I went up to light heavyweight, failed that side mission, and I defended my belt at middleweight, and there’s a point in that [Vettori] fight where I got bored.”

He continued, “I’ve accomplished a lot, exceeded a lot of my goals, but I’ve written down new ones. I’ve jotted down new ones that I will accomplish, so yeah, I’m going back to my younger self. I’m tapping back into my younger self when I was soaking everything up, really enjoying the moment, really all the experiences I was soaking up.”

Within those goals, I feel, will be another attempt at capturing two titles. Of his two further planned bouts for 2022, I do see Adesanya making a second run at the title. Matchups with both Teixeira and Prochazka are intruiging for fans of the sport, no matter who wins the light-heavyweight title fight.

This whole idea is reliant on Adesanya defeating Cannonier, of course. If the heavy-handed Texan can dethrone New Zealand’s finest striker, this plan goes out the window, or is pushed back by a great margin. With that being said, I do see Adesanya collecting the seventh ruby in his belt this June.

Will Adesanya actually be able to become the fifth simultaneous double-champ in UFC history? That’s a story for another day. All we know for now is – a chance at redemption for ‘The Last Stylebender‘ is definitely on the table in 2022.