Who is Israel Adesanya fighting next? 'The Last Stylebender' names two potential opponents for upcoming title defense
Israel Adesanya's second title reign began when he viciously knocked out Alex Pereira in the second round of their UFC 287 main event. The middleweight champion recently shared the two opponents that he could face in his upcoming title defense.
'The Last Stylebender' took to Twitter on Monday, May 15, and said:
"🫀Face the Pain‼️ Back in the day when you heard this track…you know s**ts about to get REAL!! We’ve come a looong way as a sport. It’s been awesome to watch the growth…then I jumped in the game and played my part in taking it to new levels and to millions (and millions) of new people around the world 🌍. My next game will be something special, regardless of who wins. Who do you want to win, Rob [Australian flag] or Dricus [French flag] and why?"
Check out Israel Adesanya's tweet below:
🫀Face the Pain‼️
Back in the day when you heard this track…you know shits about to get REAL!! We’ve come a looong way as a sport. It’s been awesome to watch the growth…then I jumped in the game and played my part in taking it to new levels and to millions (and millions) of new… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/PP7WimmMsH
No. 2 ranked middleweight Robert Whittaker and No. 6 ranked middleweight Dricus du Plessis are set to clash on the main card of UFC 290 in what is believed to be a title eliminator.
With the bout set to take place in June, it is unclear when Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title. 'The Last Stylebender' has already defeated 'The Reaper' twice.
'Stillknocks' is the highest-ranked middleweight that he has not defeated as the pair have never clashed.
Israel Adesanya's second title reign: Alex Pereira weighs in on upcoming title defense
Alex Pereira knows plenty about being in the octagon with Israel Adesanya as the pair shared the cage at UFC 281 and UFC 287. The No. 1 ranked middleweight recently weighed in on the middleweight title picture, stating:
"[Du Plessis] is a fighter who at the end of the first round was very tired. So how will a guy like that will fight five rounds against [Adesanya]. If he wins, it would be Adesanya [next]. I think [it's] impossible. Whitaker, he is different and has already proven this so I think there is a big difference."
'Poatan' continued:
"Let's speak about if Du Plessis wins [against Whittaker]. I think it will be a massacre. Adesanya knows this. He wants to make history. He wants to make an easy fight. For me, it is du Plessis. He is way easier than Whittaker. He wants to make history and collect wins and he knows it's a good fight for him."
Check out Alex Pereira's comments on the middleweight title picture below (starting at the 0:35 mark):
While it is unclear who Adesanya will face next, it appears that a potential trilogy with Pereira would come much further down the line. 'Poatan' is reportedly set to make the move to light heavyweight.