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#2 UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya has cemented his legacy as being one of the greatest middleweights in UFC history. The reigning middleweight champion has successfully defended his title on four occasions since defeating Robert Whittaker in 2019.
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His title defenses include wins over Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, and most recently, Whittaker.
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After achieving success at 185lbs, Adesanya could move up and attempt another run at the light heavyweight championship. He challenged then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in 2021, but was handed his first career loss via unanimous decision.
Following the bout, he stated that he’ll eventually return to 205lbs as he has aspirations of becoming champion in multiple weight-divisions.
Now that Prochazka is champion, he could possibly pursue a lucrative champion vs. champion bout.
‘The Last Stylebender’ vs. ‘Denisa’ would be an incredible matchup. Both are elite strikers and have highlight-reels with spectacular finishes. The bout could garner plenty of interest, while also allowing the promotion to continue building up contenders at 205lbs.
#1 Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz
It’s hard to overlook Jan Blachowicz when determining who will challenge Prochazka for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense. He defeated former title challenger Dominick Reyes in 2020 to win the vacant light heavyweight championship. It was an impressive performance as he earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Following the title win, Blachowicz added another accomplishment on his resume by handing Adesanya his first loss in MMA. He stuck to his gameplan that night and used his wrestling to prevent the middleweight champion from getting too confident.
After losing the title, the 39-year-old bounced back with an impressive win over Aleksandar Rakic. ‘Rocket’ was unable to continue into the third-round after unfortunately tearing his ACL.
Since the fight took place in May and ‘Denisa’ fought this past weekend, the timing would work out well. Blachowicz vs. Prochazka could possibly headline an event this fall or at the end of the year.
