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Israel Adesanya chomping at the bit for summer UFC return: ‘He’s blowing my phone up’

Recently minted undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya is reportedly keen on a return to the Octagon before the conclusion of this summer, with promotional president, Dana White claiming the middleweight kingpin has continually blew up his phone since UFC 287. Adesanya, the current undisputed middleweight champion, headlined UFC 287 last weekend in Miami, Florida […]

Adesanya, the current undisputed middleweight champion, headlined UFC 287 last weekend in Miami, Florida – defeating then-champion, Alex Pereira with a stunning, second round KO in the pair’s championship rematch.

In the immediate aftermath of his championship victory against Sao Paulo rival, Pereira, Israel Adesanya head coach and City Kickboxing tactician, Eugene Bareman confirmed that the team where available to return to active competition as soon as June.

“What it does is it provides weird opportunities,” Eugene Bareman said. “Because, as you know, the sport must move on, the division must move on, we have to fight someone. So it will provide some weird opportunity for someone that people are least expecting to get a title shot, to get a title shot.”

“That’s where these guys who haven’t fought Israel (Adesanya), there’s an opportunity there if they jump on it. And how you jump on it is you win the fights that you need to win,” Bareman explained. “But there’s also other means, you know? Like you create a bit of a storm, in the social media and in the media. There’s an opportunity there for someone to grab, they just have to do it. We wanna fight straight away. We’ll fight in eight weeks. There’s an opportunity there, someone needs to grab it.”

Israel Adesanya calling for summer Octagon comeback

And following UFC Kansas City last night in Missouri, UFC leader, White confirmed that Adesanya was calling for a return to competition continually since his championship reclamation against Pereira earlier this month.

“(Dana) White says that Israel Adesanya may fight again before the end of the summer and that he has been hitting up matchmakers already about his next fight,” TSN reporter, Aaron Bronsteter tweeted.

White says that Israel Adesanya may fight again before the end of the summer and that he has been hitting up the matchmakers already about his next fight.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 16, 2023

In terms of opponents available to Adesanya, the surging promotional-perfect contender, Dricus du Plessis appears to have caught the attention from the Nigerian-Kiwi in the week since his devastating title rematch knockout win over Pereira.

Alex Pereira warned after potential ‘Career-Ending’ KO loss to Israel Adesanya: ‘The way he fell’

Tristar MMA head coach and mastermind, Firas Zahabi has warned that former middleweight champion, Alex Pereira may never be the same again, after the Brazilian suffered a potentially “career-ending” knockout loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 this month. Pereira, who headlined UFC 287 last weekend in a middleweight championship rematch against the above-mentioned, Adesanya, […]

Pereira, who headlined UFC 287 last weekend in a middleweight championship rematch against the above-mentioned, Adesanya, dropped a stunning second round KO loss to the Nigerian-Kiwi at the Octagon fence.

Backing Adesanya back to the fence with a combination of his own, Sao Paulo native, Alex Pereira was countered with a couple of right hook strikes from Adesanya, before he was sent cannoning to the Octagon canvas, finding himself on the receiving end of more ground strikes.

Firas Zahabi expresses concern for Alex Pereira following UFC 287

Despite leaving the Octagon under his own motion and momentum following UFC 287, Pereira has been warned he may have suffered irreversible damage against Adesanya – potentially “career-ending”, in fact.

“I think that that knockout, the way he fell, the way he was out, the way he got hit three times,” AFiras Zahabi said of Alex Pereira on his YouTube channel. “That could be one of those fight-ending, career-ending fights. Like, he might win a few fights, lose a fight. He might never be the same, once you get knocked out really badly like that. For instance, I’ll tell you, like, when (Jose) Aldo got knocked out by (Conor) McGregor, he was never the same again. When Georges (St-Pierre) TKO’d B.J. Penn, when he gave him that beating – that really bad beating, he was really the same again.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)

Announcing plans to make a move to the light heavyweight limit following his knockout loss to Adesanya last weekend, Pereira has been linked with an immediate title outing at the division against current champion, Jamahal Hill – while compatriot, Johnny Walker has offered to welcome the Sao Paulo striker to the 205lbs ranks to boot.

Jan Blachowicz confident of win over Israel Adesanya, calls for title rematch: ‘I know how to do it’

Having previously landed a victory over Israel Adesanya, former undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz remains confident of making the middleweight limit for a title rematch with the newly-minted champion – before defeating him again. Blachowicz, who remains in light heavyweight limit amid his UFC 282 main event majority decision draw with Magomed Ankalaev, […]

Blachowicz, who remains in light heavyweight limit amid his UFC 282 main event majority decision draw with Magomed Ankalaev, held the undisputed division throne just shy of a year, defeating Dominick Reyes with a thunderous knockout to win the vacant crown in September 2020.

Headlining UFC 259 in March of the following year, the Polish veteran handed the above-mentioned, Adesanya a unanimous decision loss over the course of five rounds – as the City Kickboxing striker suffered his first loss in professional mixed martial arts in an unsuccessful light heavyweight title siege.

Jan Blachowicz offers to fight Israel Adesanya at middleweight limit

However, off the back of Adesanya’s middleweight title redemption against Alex Pereira earlier this month at UFC 287, Blachowicz, the current #3 ranked light heavyweight contender has offered to drop to the middleweight limit in search of a title rematch with Adesanya.

“People need to believe a little bit more in me,” Jan Blachowicz told Peter Carroll during an interview on The Craic. “And if UFC would like to make this fight, I will do it, no problem. I know how to do it. That will be great motivation for me, a big motivation, you know, to beat him another one, another time. So yeah, why not? I’m ready to do that.”

“I find a way how to do it,” Jan Blachowicz continued. “And then, of course, how do to id and be in very good share in the fight. If I wasn’t, I will not say that. But, of course, I need a little bit more time. They have to give me like three, four months. Yes, 205 [pounds] is easy for me. Three weeks like this, you know, but 84[kgs], yeah, three months, for sure.”

As well as offering to fight Adesanya at the middleweight limit, Blachowicz also revealed he would be willing to share the Octagon with the above-mentioned, Pereira, with the Brazilian confirming his impending move to the light heavyweight ranks to boot following UFC 287.

Robert Whittaker vows to continue rival ‘Hunting’ Israel Adesanya, eyes third UFC title clash

With Israel Adesanya recapturing the middleweight title at UFC 287, Robert Whittaker finds himself in a precarious position. The Reaper’ was hoping to secure himself a title opportunity had Alex Pereira successfully defended the 185-pound crown last Saturday night. Instead, ‘The Last Stylebender’ delivered a showstopping second-round knockout to become just the fourth fighter in […]

With Israel Adesanya recapturing the middleweight title at UFC 287, Robert Whittaker finds himself in a precarious position.

The Reaper’ was hoping to secure himself a title opportunity had Alex Pereira successfully defended the 185-pound crown last Saturday night. Instead, ‘The Last Stylebender’ delivered a showstopping second-round knockout to become just the fourth fighter in UFC history to reclaim their title in an immediate rematch. With the gold firmly back around the waist of Adesanya, Robert Whittaker is wondering where he goes from here.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Robert Whittaker discussed the path that would have led him back to the middleweight title and a trilogy bout with Israel Adesanya. Instead, Whittaker is at a standstill as both Alex Pereira and ‘The Last Stylebender’ eye a potential run at light heavyweight.

“I’m in a tricky position, I know this, especially with Izzy winning that fight,” Whittaker said. “I know the path that the UFC had was for Pereira to win, me to fight Pereira, beat Pereira, Izzy to fight me okay. That’s the rematch they wanted, that’s how they wanted it to happen, I’m pretty sure, okay… Now, Izzy’s won, where does that leave me? Don’t think Pereira’s staying at middleweight, okay… So where does that leave me? I don’t know” (h/t MMA News)

A Trilogy Fight Between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya is a Hard Sell Considering Their History

Robert Whittaker has gone to-toe-to with Adesanya on two separate occasions, the first coming at UFC 243 in 2019. ‘The Reaper’ surrendered the middleweight championship to ‘Stylebender’ that night, suffering a second-round knockout. Working his way back to a rematch, Whittaker fared much better the second time around, but still came up short, losing their UFC 271 clash via a decisive unanimous decision.

“I want to fight Izzy for the belt, and I want to take the belt off Izzy,” Whittaker continued. “That’s what I want to do. I do have a lot of respect for his skillset, and I’ve mentioned that before. I’ve mentioned it to his face. But I know it’s a puzzle I can work out, and it excites me. The challenge of trying to beat him, of getting back the belt from him, it’s a driving force for me. I enjoy that, and I’m never gonna stop hunting him. Ever. Ever. That’s just what I want to do until I get that W back from him. That’s what I want.”

Having already tried and failed to solve the puzzle that is Israel Adesanya on two separate occasions, giving him a third opportunity is a hard sell. It becomes even more difficult as the ‘Stylebender’ is primed for another run at becoming a two-division UFC champion. Should Adesanya go hunting for more championship gold, Robert Whittaker could find himself in line for an interim title opportunity, but that is pure speculation at this point.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the middleweight division, who would you like to see Robert Whittaker face next?

Israel Adesanya targeted to make UFC return in June following title win: ‘We wanna fight straight away’

Clinching the undisputed middleweight title just last weekend, recently minted champion, Israel Adesanya is being lined up for a quickfire Octagon comeback, with head coach, Eugene Bareman touting a potential eight-week timeframe for his return. Adesanya, now a two-time undisputed middleweight champion under the banner of the UFC, headlined the promotion’s UFC 287 flagship event […]

Adesanya, now a two-time undisputed middleweight champion under the banner of the UFC, headlined the promotion’s UFC 287 flagship event last weekend, stopping Brazilian rival, Alex Pereira with a stunning second round KO at the Octagon fence.

The victory propelled Israel Adesanya back to the winner’s enclosure after he suffered a fifth round standing TKO loss to Pereira in the main event of UFC 281 back in November, dropping his undisputed middleweight crown.

Israel Adesanya linked with a move to the light heavyweight division

Linked with a potential return to the Octagon in the form of a light heavyweight move and title fight against current undisputed champion, Jamahal Hill by the above-mentioned, Bareman, the City Kickboxing leader suggested Adesanya will be ready to compete as soon as June – eyeing a quickfire return.

“What it does is it provides weird opportunities,” Eugene Bareman told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Because, as you know, the sport must move on, the division must move on, we have to fight someone. So it will provide some weird opportunity for someone that people are least expecting to get a title shot, to get a title shot.”

“That’s where these guys who haven’t fought Israel (Adesanya), there’s an opportunity there if they jump on it. And how you jump on it is you win the fights that you need to win,” Bareman explained. “But there’s also other means, you know? Like you create a bit of a storm, in social media and in the media. There’s an opportunity there for someone to grab, they just have to do it. We wanna fight straight away. We’ll fight in eight weeks. There’s an opportunity there, someone needs to grab it.” (Transcribed by MMANews)

As well as a potential title excursion of his own against Hill, Israel Adesanya has been linked with fights against Sean Strickland, and most notably – what appears to be a tense rivalry with South African finisher, Dricus du Plessis.

UFC’s Alex Pereira Moves to Light Heavyweight; Still Eyes Israel Adesanya Fight

After losing the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287 last week, Alex Pereira is moving up a weight class. According to Drake Riggs and…