Jan Blachowicz issues interesting rematch challenge to Israel Adesanya post latter’s spectacular UFC 287 victory

Israel Adesanya once again proved the doubters wrong and put on an all-time finish in his rematch against Alex Pereira for the middleweight throne. This prompted a former foe in Jan Blachowicz to issue his own challenge.

'The Last Stylebender' had his back against the ropes coming into his UFC 287 headliner when he went face-to-face with the Brazilian nightmare 'Poatan' for the fourth time in his combat sports career. Despite the added pressure of meeting a man he had previously lost to three times, the star managed to come out on top.

Immediately after the bout concluded, Jan Blachowicz took to social media to offer a fresh challenge to the newly crowned middleweight king. He insisted that they run back their previous fight, this time at 185 lbs:

"Congratulations on a successful rematch, Israel Adesanya. If you want to try another one, you know where to find me. This time at middleweight for your belt."

Last time out, Jan Blachowicz squandered the chance to become the UFC champion for the second time. Despite having early success against Magomed Ankalaev, the two battled to a draw and were left empty-handed in their vacant light heavyweight title clash.

The Pole has primarily been a 205er throughout his time in the sport and has never competed at middleweight, which could give the 'Izzy' an advantage should the discussed fight get booked.

Adesanya is known for his story-like overview of his career. Having now somewhat settled his feud with Alex Pereira, he could potentially welcome a second bout with Blachowicz.

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Israel Adesanya vs. Jan Blachowicz: How did their first encounter play out?

Israel Adesanya is once again on top of the world, having recaptured UFC gold. but another potential problem from his past is beginning to haunt him, this time in the form of Blachowicz.

The two met back at UFC 259 on March 6, 2021, in a rather underwhelming matchup. Coming into the bout with a clear striking advantage, it seemed the 33-year-old struggled with the size and strength of his opponent and was exposed in the grappling department.

Unbeaten coming into the matchup, Adesanya quickly realized that a move up to light heavyweight had to be done properly. The then-light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz used his experience, edge in grappling, and sheer power to overwhelm the challenger and stunt his search for simultaneous two-division gold.