With his rivalry against Alex Pereira now in the rear-view mirror, Israel Adesanya can focus on some new challenges at 185-pounds.
Adesanya, who earned a significant measure of revenge against Pereira earlier this year for three successive defeats (2 x kickboxing, 1 x MMA) to his Brazilian foe when he finished the former champion with a stunning second-round counter at UFC 287 in April, will take on the next man up early next month in Sydney, Australia when he fights Sean Strickland — the American who leapfrogged #1 contender Dricus du Plessis in title contention by virtue of him being available to compete in what was a hastily-assembled pay-per-view main event Down Under.
Aside from his middleweight defeat to Pereira (and one at light heavyweight to Jan Blachowicz), Adesanya has been near-faultless in the 185-pound fold. Several contenders have tried and failed to seize the middleweight strap from him over the years, with one being another Brazilian fighter, Paulo Costa, who came up short against ‘The Last Stylebender’ in Abu Dhabi all the way back in September 2020.
You can check that fight out below:
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