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#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Jiri Prochazka
Another opponent for Israel Adesanya if he returns to light heavyweight is Jiri Prochazka. If Adesanya retains his middleweight championship and takes a non-title fight like Anderson Silva did, Prochazka would make the most sense. Both fighters’ styles would make for quite an entertaining bout.
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Prochazka is on a 12-fight winning streak that dates back to his RIZIN tenure, where he was the RIZIN light heavyweight champion. What makes the winning streak even more impressive is that 11 of his last 12 wins have come by KO/TKO. Prochazka has defeated many notable fighters including ‘King Mo’ Lawal, Dominick Reyes, and current Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov.
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Prochazka is expected to receive the next title shot, so the outcome will determine where he stands in the division. Adesanya vs. Prochazka would be an intriguing striking battle and could end in spectacular fashion.
#1. Israel Adesanya vs. Glover Teixeira
Topping this list of opponents for Adesanya if he returns to light heavyweight is Glover Teixeira. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion did the unthinkable at UFC 267, when he defeated Blachowicz to become the new champion. At 42-years-old, Teixeira became the second oldest champion in UFC history. The champion had a career resurgence in 2019 and has since won 6-straight fights.
His past three fights were the most remarkable as he finished ‘Lionheart’ Smith, Thiago Santos, and Jan Blachowicz. This is impressive because they are all top-5 light heavyweights in the UFC and were viewed as tough fights for Teixeira.
If Adesanya continues to retain his UFC middleweight championship, he could find himself with another light heavyweight title shot eventually. Adesanya is expected to defend his title against former champion Robert Whittaker next. This will be the second rematch of his middleweight title reign. If he gets past Whittaker decisively, it may not be long before he gets a second chance to earn champ-champ status.
