"He'll never weigh 205 pounds" - Chael Sonnen claims Israel Adesanya will not return to light heavyweight until 2025
Chael Sonnen doesn't believe Israel Adesanya will return to the light heavyweight division for at least the next three years.
Adesanya's only professional MMA loss came against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 last March. Blachowicz used his size advantage to take the middleweight king down and seal the unanimous decision win.
Speaking on his Beyond the Fight YouTube show, Sonnen insisted that 'The Last Stylebender' doesn't have the body frame to compete in a higher weight class yet. That's despite Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman suggesting the Nigerian-born New Zealander will eventually look to become a two-division titleholder.
"Adesanya went up to take on Blachowicz and now his coach is talking about will he go back. His coach's saying, 'Yes!' I will predict for you he doesn't go back. And I will further guarantee for you he does not go back in the next three years. The only reason I make that prediction, honestly, Adesanya is barely big enough to be an 185-pounder. He'll never weigh 205 pounds. He won't weigh it, let alone want to pull down or cut it, it's just he has got the wrong body frame. I think he'll stay right at 185."
Watch Chael Sonnen speak about Israel Adesanya's UFC light heavyweight title prospects below:
Israel Adesanya has made four successful UFC middleweight title defenses so far
Israel Adesanya holds an impressive 22-1 win-loss record and has held the UFC middleweight belt since October 2019. He defeated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 to claim the interim title and then unified it by knocking out Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 the same year.
Since becoming the champion, Adesanya has made four successful defenses, three of them by unanimous decisions. His first came against Yoel Romero in March 2020.
Kelvin Gastelum
Best in the world. #UFC271
Israel Adesanya's UFC title fight wins:
✅ Kelvin Gastelum
✅ Robert Whittaker
✅ Yoel Romero
✅ Paulo Costa
✅ Marvin Vettori
✅ Robert Whittaker 🆕
👑 Best in the world. #UFC271 https://t.co/KFwF3cIB0X
He then inflicted the first loss of Paulo Costa's career via TKO at UFC 253, following which he unsuccessfully challenged Jan Blachowicz.
In June 2021, Adesanya won a one-sided rematch against Marvin Vettori. His most recent defense was at UFC 271 last weekend, when he overcame Whittaker for a second time at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.