Israel Adesanya on whether he's open to fighting Jan Blachowicz for the Light Heavyweight title
Israel Adesanya now has two successful title defenses in his reign as UFC Middleweight Champion, and this isn't including the fact that he won the Interim Championship in April 2019.
The 31-year-old has 9 wins inside the Octagon since his UFC debut, and an undefeated streak of 20-0 following his emphatic second-round victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 253. One fight before the main event, the vacant Light Heavyweight title was on the line and Jan Blachowicz claimed the throne by defeating Dominick Reyes.
Jan Blachowicz then called out the previous Champion Jon Jones, who vacated the title in favor of a move to Heavyweight. Jan Blachowicz was asked about a potential Champion vs Champion fight against Israel Adesanya, and he was more than open to the opportunity.
Israel Adesanya stated that he wants to fight once more in 2020, telling ESPN:
“I want to fight this year,” Adesanya. “We’ll talk [with the UFC]. We talked a little bit [Monday] night, but we’ll talk some more. I can’t say anything yet, but we’ve got some plans. I want to fight again this year.”
When asked about whether he would be interested in fighting Jan Blachowicz for the Light Heavyweight title, Israel Adesanya said:
“Yeah, we like that fight with Jan,” Adesanya said. “I like 205. I’m the best 205er in the world, what can I say?"
Israel Adesanya did, however, mention that he's waiting for Jared Cannonier.
Who is next for Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz?
While a superfight is something that the UFC loves to organise, it doesn't make sense to make it since Jon Jones isn't the Champion of the 205-pound division. Jan Blachowicz will likely have his first contender in early November when Thiago Santos takes on Glover Teixeira.
As for Israel Adesanya, he called out Jared Cannonier. If The Killa Gorilla is able to get past Robert Whittaker at UFC 254, he will earn a title shot against The Last Stylebender.