Tag: Glover Teixeira

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes he will face Jan Blachowicz next.

It was revealed by UFC president Dana White last month Adesanya would move up and challenge Blachowicz in an attempt to become a two-weight champion.

Of course, Adesanya was originally looking to defend his middleweight title against Jared Cannonier next. But with Cannonier losing to Robert Whittaker last month and White seemingly assuming Whittaker had no interest in a rematch with Adesanya, he gave the green light for “The Last Stylebender” to move up.

And that’s just one example of how things can change in an instant in the fight game.

“The lay of the land, especially in warfare, is ever changing so you can’t be attached to one idea,” Adesanya told MMA Fighting. “I was attached to the idea that I would fight Jared Cannonier but the lay of the land in warfare is always ever changing.

“So when this opportunity came to me it felt like a lay-up from the universe or an alley-oop from the universe and I have to slam dunk it, which I will.”

However, following Glover Teixeira’s impressive win over Thiago Santos earlier this month — which put him on a four-fight winning streak — it appears he is now in with a shout as well.

White, himself, admitted it’s something he would have to figure out. But as far as Adesanya is concerned, he is confident he will still get the next shot at Blachowicz.

“I’m pretty confident it will be my next opponent,” Adesanya said. “Glover had an amazing fight. He did very well. If I’m being objectively honest, rightly so he calls for a title shot cause he feels like he’s up there in age and this is his second shot.

“But I got there first and I feel like I’ve got the right cards in my hand to make this happen. Not saying he’s not going to get a title shot but I was first in line.”

Blachowicz recently came out and stated that Adesanya would find difficulty competing with the extra 20 pounds at light heavyweight. He was also notably excited about inflicting Adesanya’s first career defeat.

Adesanya, of course, will not lose any sleep over Blachowicz and remain confident of getting the win. However, he did give credit to Blachowicz for turning his career around.

“I’ve been impressed by his comeback from a losing record in the UFC,” Adesanya added. “Where most guys would have been cut, to come back and grab the belt in the fashion that he has, I’ve been impressed.”

Do you think we’ll see Blachowicz vs. Adesanya next?

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has no preference for his next opponent.

Blachowicz was initially expected to defend his crown against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after UFC president Dana White claimed that would be next in the pipeline.

However, White seemingly had a change of heart following Glover Teixeira’s impressive submission win over Thiago Santos earlier this month to make it four wins in a row.

Nothing is confirmed as of yet.

But when it comes to an Adesanya fight, the wheels were in motion back in September when Blachowicz won the title. And the idea of inflicting Adesanya’s first-ever defeat is something that appeals to the Pole.

“One day after my fight, I knew that they would like to do this fight,” Blachowicz told MMA Fighting. “They text me on the plane when I was on the way home. So I was a little bit surprised but also excited because he is one of the best.

“He never lost a fight in MMA so if they make this fight, I will be the first to beat him and he will remember it for the rest of his life. It will be amazing. Small bonus for me.”

Teixeira recently provided a warning for Adesanya that moving up to 205 will not be the same as middleweight with many differences he may not be ready for.

Blachowicz seems to be in agreement and believes Adesanya would be better off facing a contender first — even if he does rate “The Last Stylebender” highly.

“All my life I’m in this category so I know everything about this category. Everything is different,” Blachowicz said. “Cardio is different. Timing is different. Speed is different. You can train with heavyweight guys, you can train with 205 guys but this is training. A fight is completely different. When guys change their category, they’ve got problems with that, problems with everything. Not everyone can be ready for that. We will see.

“… Maybe Adesanya will be ready for that but I don’t think so. If he wants to make his first fight at 205, with the champion, it’s going to be a problem for him. I think it would better for him, safer for him if he makes first fight with someone from the contenders, not in the top of the rankings but someone from behind.”

As far as who Blachowicz ends up facing next, he has no particular preference.

“We’ll see what the UFC [says], if they tell me you’re next fight is going to be Glover, I will sign that no problem,” he added. “If they tell me your next opponent is Adesanya, I will sign that also. I don’t like to choose. If they want to give me Glover, no problem. If they want to give me Adesanya, no problem.”

Who do you think Blachowicz will face next?