Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
It’s good to know that UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya isn’t too attached to his undefeated record, because reigning light heavyweight kingpin Jan Blachowicz is planning to take it from him in the most violent way possible.
That’s assuming the promotion can justify skipping over top 205-pound contender Glover Teixeira, who stamped his ticket to a division title shot with a submission victory over Thiago Santos earlier this month at APEX in Las Vegas.
Blachowicz sees Adesanya as the bigger prize.
“To be the first one to beat him, that will also be a pleasure for me, so we’ll see,” Blachowicz told MMA Junkie. “Because he will remember me for the rest of his life. When I beat him, he’s gonna have this 20-1, and I’ll always be the first one to beat him so it’s really nice to beat someone the first time in his life.”
The promotion could also let Blachowicz defend against Teixeira and put Adesanya into a grudge match against former 205-pound titleholder Jon Jones, since they can’t seem to stop talking about one another on social media.
As of this writing, Blachowicz doesn’t plan on making his Octagon return until March, so that should give matchmakers time to figure this thing out, though Jones could help expedite the process by making a decision on his trip to heavyweight.