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After retaining his UFC middleweight title against Marvin Vettori, but also suffering the first loss of his MMA career against Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya will be hoping for a big year in 2022.
Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight crown against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 in February, but who else could be in line for a shot at the champ this year?
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There are a number of potential opponents out there for ‘The Last Stylebender’. With his fight with Whittaker coming so early into the year, there’s a chance he could fight at least twice more.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Adesanya in 2022.
#5. Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker
We already know that Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271, but is there a chance that these two standouts could face off in a potential trilogy bout in 2022? Absolutely.
Firstly, if ‘The Reaper’ can find a way to defeat Adesanya and reclaim the title he lost back in October 2019, the UFC would almost be guaranteed to sign an instant rematch between the two.
Not only do they love to book trilogies, but Adesanya stands as one of the promotion’s biggest stars right now. With that in mind, there’s no doubt they’d probably prefer him as champion.
Secondly, it’d be hard to dispute the idea that Adesanya would deserve an immediate rematch. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has essentially been the most dominant middleweight the UFC has seen since Anderson Silva. It’d be unfair to push him to the back of the queue with a loss.
If Adesanya defeats Whittaker for a second time, then a rematch would be a little harder to push. However, given the nature of the division, there’d be nothing to stop Whittaker securing a third shot with another big win later down the line.
Of course, if the fight at UFC 271 were to end in controversy, say due to an injury or a questionable decision from the judges, then a rematch would basically be a given.
With that considered, then, there’s definitely a chance that a trilogy between these two could be settled in 2022.
#4. Israel Adesanya vs. Derek Brunson
Israel Adesanya’s vicious knockout win over Derek Brunson at UFC 230 in November 2018 was the first real sign that ‘The Last Stylebender’ was for real. However, could these two men rematch in 2022?
It’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. It might seem slightly surprising given that he’s flown largely under the radar, but Adesanya’s win over Brunson is actually the last time that the 38-year-old was defeated in the octagon.
Since then, the former Strikeforce man has gone 5-0, impressing in each appearance. Most importantly, he enjoyed an absolutely fantastic 2021, defeating both Kevin Holland and Darren Till, both of whom had been talked up as potential opponents for Adesanya.
Brunson is set to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 271 on the same night that Adesanya faces Robert Whittaker. If he can defeat ‘The Killa Gorilla’ then it’s hard to imagine the UFC denying him a shot at ‘The Last Stylebender’, assuming he still holds his title of course.
#3. Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier
The highest-ranked contender in the UFC middleweight division yet to face Israel Adesanya is Jared Cannonier, who currently sits at No.3. That alone makes him a definite candidate to go head-to-head with ‘The Last Stylebender’ in 2022.
Cannonier has looked excellent ever since dropping to 185 pounds in 2018. He has delivered nasty stoppage victories over David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson. Most recently, he outpointed Kelvin Gastelum in an impressive main event showing.
‘The Killa Gorilla’ has only suffered one loss as a middleweight, a setback against Robert Whittaker in 2020. Realistically, there’s no shame in that and it won’t stop him from claiming a title shot should he defeat Derek Brunson in February.
How would Cannonier match up with Adesanya? The truth is that on paper, at least, he’d be an opponent that you’d favor ‘The Last Stylebender’ to defeat comfortably. However, in the world of the UFC, you never know.
If nothing else, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ has the kind of punching power to make things interesting. As he’s only one step away from a title shot, the likelihood of him fighting Adesanya this year is pretty high.
#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
Given the struggles of other potential contenders, such as Paulo Costa and Darren Till, one outside bet for a possible opponent for Israel Adesanya could be Sean Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ is currently ranked at No.7 in the middleweight division, but could climb if he defeats Jack Hermansson in February.
Overall, though, Strickland is undoubtedly on one of the best runs of his UFC career and of any middleweight currently operating in the promotion. His last loss came way back in 2018. Since moving to 185 pounds, he’s gone 5-0, with stoppages of Nordine Taleb and Brendan Allen to go alongside decision wins over Jack Marshman, Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall.
The most recent of those wins came in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card last July. While it certainly wasn’t a thrilling performance, the fact ‘Tarzan’ easily dealt with a dangerous striker over five rounds was definitely impressive.
Add in the fact that Strickland appears to be becoming more and more outspoken, albeit sometimes in a controversial way, and the UFC could well decide that he’s a marketable enough fighter to face Adesanya later in 2022, particularly if he can beat Hermansson and then another ranked opponent.
#1. Israel Adesanya vs. Colby Covington
It sounds crazy to suggest that a fighter who’s never stepped into the octagon as a middleweight could end up facing Israel Adesanya in 2022, particularly if ‘The Last Stylebender’ still holds the UFC title in the division. However, Colby Covington is no regular fighter.
‘Chaos’ has lost twice to current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. While there’d be some interest in a trilogy, the truth is that Usman has fresher opponents to face right now. That leaves Covington in a bit of a bind, particularly after he’s done with his fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.
However, a move to 185 pounds could make a lot of sense for ‘Chaos’. He’s not a small welterweight and could easily pack enough muscle on to become a powerful middleweight.
More to the point, though, his outstanding wrestling could give high-level middleweights like Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till some serious issues. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see him dominate one before calling out Adesanya.
If that fight were to be signed, then quite how ‘The Last Stylebender’ would deal with the pressure and takedowns of Covington would be a major question mark, especially given how he lost to Jan Blachowicz in 2021.
This sounds like an odd fight, but look a little deeper and it could actually be the most intriguing fight that the UFC could offer Adesanya right now.
