What weight does UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya walk around at?

Israel Adesanya weighs in at 185 pounds for his Middleweight bouts, but the weight he walks around at is bound to be much more than that.

In a November 2019 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Israel Adesanya admitted that he was walking around at 203 pounds. Although he blamed the large portions in which American restaurants serve for the added weight, The Last Stylebender's walk-around weight is likely to be in the low-200 pound range only.

However, in a fan Q&A session, Chael Sonnen claimed that Israel Adesanya was lying about his weight. Sonnen said the Middleweight champion was pretending to be closer to the Light Heavyweight mark because he was desperate to fight Jon Jones.

Regardless of whether Chael Sonnen is right or wrong, Israel Adesanya is now moving up to 205 pounds, and he plans on fighting at his walking around weight.

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Israel Adesanya to not cut weight for Jan Blachowicz fight

After months of rumors, Dana White finally confirmed a few months back that Israel Adesanya was indeed moving up a weight class to fight for the 205 pounds title. He is set to fight Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6, 2020.

ICYMI: March 6th is a can't miss Saturday night 🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/ECZEaQpvFc

— UFC (@ufc) January 27, 2021

If he manages to defeat Blachowicz, Adesanya will become the fifth UFC fighter to hold two division championships simultaneously.

However, unlike most fighters who go up a weight class, Israel Adesanya will not be putting on muscle mass and then cut down to 205 pounds. He will face the Polish champion at his walkaround weight, leaving the trimming down aspect of a fight camp out of the equation. Instead, the Middleweight king will focus on more effective strategies ahead of the fight.

Speaking to 1 News, Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman explained how putting on weight was never going to help The Last Stylebender against a Light Heavyweight like Jan Blachowicz. So they decided against it and instead chose to utilize the time for "better-suited endeavors".

"We're not putting on weight — the science of putting on weight and moving up in weight isn't going to be a factor in this fight because we've decided to come in at our normal, walk-around weight."

"I don't think, with any amount of time or any amount of weight that Israel could put on, I don't think he's ever going to be stronger than Jan so we've decided, 'Let's try not to get stronger than Jan, let's use that time to better suited endeavours." said Bareman

Nevertheless, The Last Stylebender is undergoing a spectacular body transformation for the mission of becoming a double champion in UFC.

#UFC259 is stacked...and so am I.🥞🥞🥞 pic.twitter.com/bvmuGXacbJ

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 10, 2021