5 fights for Israel Adesanya if he moves to heavyweight in the future

Israel Adesanya is currently 0-1 at light heavyweight

Israel Adesanya successfully defended his middleweight championship against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. In the past, we have seen Adesanya venture up the weight divisions. While he was previously unsuccessful, his coach Eugene Bareman recently indicated he could be tempted again.

The first time around, 'The Last Stylebender' suffered the first defeat of his MMA career against former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Bareman indicated that even back then, had Adesanya been successful; his next fight would ideally have been against heavyweight great Stipe Miocic.

😳Eugene Bareman coach of @stylebender has said that the champ, is looking to challenge Stipe Miocic.

Could the Middleweight really go up to Heavyweight? 🤔 https://t.co/lle2JmPLzz

Adesanya does have extensive experience competing at heavyweight back in his kickboxing days. Given his naturally slight frame, he also has to overcome a size disadvantage even at middleweight.

While a move up to heavyweight would be a big ask, it would also be fascinating to see. For now, it seems as though his next challenge will be Jared Cannonier at middleweight.

However, should 'The Last Stylebender' move up to heavyweight, here are five fights for the middleweight champion:

#5. Israel Adesanya vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is 6-3 in the UFC heavyweight division

At the end of 2019, Jairzinho Rozenstruik appeared on course to be the next big thing in the heavyweight division. His record was 10-0, and he was coming off consecutive wins over Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem. Since then, however, he has gone 2-3 in his five fights.

While Rozenstruik's momentum may have slowed, he remains a constant threat. All of his UFC wins have come via KO or TKO. It's not unthinkable that 'Bigi Boy' strings together a few big wins and ends up back at the top of the division, as we have seen with Tai Tuivasa.

🚨 Feb 26 I'm back in the octagon! Stay tuned for more! 💪🇸🇷 #TeamBigiBoy https://t.co/KQDEMbVNUH

Matchup-wise, you can also see a path to victory for Adesanya. As we saw in his fight with Ciryl Gane, if you can keep Rozenstruik at range and pick him off from distance, his strengths can be somewhat neutralized.

Adesanya would have to be very cautious and utilize his speed if this fight were booked. Staying out of range would also be necessary, which could lead the Kiwi to a win.