364 days after he made his first middleweight title defence – the last UFC title fight in front of a packed UFC crowd – Israel Adesanya is jumping up in weight to chase gold at 205lbs.
UFC President Dana White confirmed Thursday that on March 7 at UFC 259, Adesanya will attempt to add the light heavyweight strap to his middleweight gold when he takes on Jan Blachowicz.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
While champions jumping up a division can lead to stalled divisions – Conor McGregor locking up the lightweight division while chasing money fights the most glaring example – Adesanya, for now, doesn’t have much waiting for him at 185lbs.
He meticulously tore apart Paula Costa on Fight Island in late September and the number one-ranked Robert Whittaker, who Adesanya beat in October 2019, has bounced back since the loss with wins over Darren Till and Jarrod Cannonier in 2020.
That’s everyone in the top four.
Whittaker wants a rematch with Israel Adesanya - just not yet.
Speaking after beating Cannonier, Whittaker said he wants a rematch with Adesanya eventually, but isn't rushing to get it done.
"He's a tough fight. I'm not stoked to fight him. He's a hard fight, because he's so good," he joked.
"And he only looked better in his last fight - and the fact he beat me once already.
"But, I feel I've got a couple of tricks I could roll out. I feel I could play it differently this time.
"Honestly, I know he's trying to do everything else, and good luck to him. But I'm not thinking about it.
"Maybe he shouldn't think about it for a little bit. He can go up to light-heavyweight or heavy, whatever he wants to do. Doesn't bother me.”
If Adesanya does get past Blachowicz, he’ll become the eighth two-weight champion in UFC history and the first to go from middleweight to light-heavyweight.
Blachowicz’s heavy hands – Polish power if you’re a fan of alliteration – may have something to say about that, though. The 38-year-old has won eight of his past nine, including four finishes.
Depending on what happens at UFC 259, a win for Adesanya could tempt Jon Jones back to the Octagon and to stay at 205 pounds – though he has indicated he’s likely to return at heavyweight.
Should Adesanya lose, he could return to middleweight to run it back with Whittaker.
The only loser in all this appears to be number one-ranked light heavyweight Glover Teixeira.
After enduring a 2-3 run from 2016-18, it looked like Teixeira’s time was up as a title fight gatekeeper. Now 41, on a five-fight winning streak, with Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos both among his scalps, Teixeira’s a threat at 205 pounds – if only he can get a shot.
