Still Middleweight King, What's Next For Izzy?
The recent UFC 259 headliner saw Israel Adesanya try to attain a status only obtained by a few, the status of double champ, a two division champion in the UFC. Adesanya fell short in his venture against Light Heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz, losing by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-45, 49-45) leaving us wondering where do things go from here for the Middleweight king?
His attempt to become a two division champion cost him a perfect record that made him seem untouchable, for once, Israel Adesanya looked human. While most were either anticipating his arrival into the GOAT conversation in just under three years or waiting for the train to stall, nobody knew what was going to come next if he fell short. The potential Jon Jones superfight has lost its luster and another run at Light Heavyweight would leave the middleweight division stagnant, while leaving light heavyweight poses big questions about whats next for Jan.
It is clear that Teixeria is the next in line for a shot but outside of that, contenders seem few and far between. Aleksander Rakic just came off a promising win over Thiago Santos which makes a good mid-term schedule for Jan in the coming months, but beyond that nobody has built their resume to make an argument for the belt. Which makes one wonder about a Jones vs. Blachowicz bout beyond this year, assuming both are champions of their respective divisions because, like Blachowicz, Jones is dealing with a shallow division. Outside of contenders Francis Ngannou and champion Stipe Miocic there is really nobody left in the fray. Coming into 2022, if these two men hold their respective belts, it becomes the only logical step to take. Which had me wondering whats next for Izzy?
Israel has all but cleaned out the division, with wins over contenders #1, 2, 5, 7 & 8. A huge feat that shows dominance over the division, but not quiet cleared out. Israel still has options at 185 before another opportunity for the 205 crown opens up. Whittaker has been knocking on the doorstep of a rematch since he lost to Izzy with wins over top 5 contenders Jared Cannonier and Daren TIll, both men whom Izzy have yet to face. A Whittaker rematch deffinately has the selling point the UFC is looking for with former champion challenging the current champion, while clearly seperating himself from the rest of the contenders, but Whittaker is currently booked to fight Costa on April 17th. assuming they have average medical suspensions it may be close to 5 months before the winner is available for a title fight.
#5 Marvin Vettori is another looking for a rematch against Israel as he lost to him in Izzys second fight for the UFC. Vettori Recently jumped into the top 5 with a win over Hermanson but, just like Whittaker is currently booked to fight #4 ranked Darren Till and with #3 Jared Cannonier and #6 Hermansson on medical suspension until April and June, everybody in the top 6 is tied up for the champion. Unless there’s another option.
#10 Kevin Holland takes on #7 Brunson on March 20th, assuming a dominant victory for one of these men, this could be an option in the short term for Izzy while the top end plays itself out. Outside of that contender fight #9 Uriah Hall takes on Chris Weidman on April 24th, leaving only #8 Kelvin Gastelum who previously lost to the champion and just turned around a three fight skid. Options are clearly stagnant for the middleweight champ, his options are to either wait for the top end to un-weave its web or take the winner of Holland vs. Brunson. The consensus from the community seems to be the former, and wait for the division to unravel but, there are options available to the Middleweight king if he chooses to stay active.
