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Israel Adesanya will challenge Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title in the main event of the title-fight stacked card at UFC 259. 'Izzy' decided to move up to light-heavyweight after his third successful defence of the middleweight title against Paulo Costa at UFC 253.
In the lead up to UFC 259, Israel Adesanya has even revealed that the idea to move up a weight class was not his own. According to 'Izzy', his head coach Eugene Bareman came up with the idea immediately in the aftermath of his victory against Paulo Costa. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Israel Adesanya told Marc Raimondi:
"I am the canvas. I have a lot of artists that put a lot of work into me. I have to consider their feelings as well. When Eugene pitched the idea to me, I was like, 'Hmm, you make sense.' Listen to my coaches, listen to my team and listen to the money. That's the appeal to me."
Israel Adesanya can currently boast of a perfect 20-0 record in the UFC including victories over the likes of Anderson Silva, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa. 'The Last Stylebender' will look to shatter yet another record this Saturday by becoming a double champion in the shortest period of time in UFC history.
In his recent interview with ESPN MMA, Adesanya has also revealed that he plans to move back to middleweight irrespective of the outcome against Blachowicz. Instead of holding up the division, Israel Adesanya has expressed his desire to stay active throughout the year, which could culminate in three to four fights in 2021.
Ahead of his light-heavyweight title shot, we take a look at 3 middleweights and 2 light-heavyweights who have a realistic chance of defeating Israel Adesanya:
#3 Middleweight who can defeat Israel Adesanya: Khamzat Chimaev
While Khamzat Chimaev is only three fights old in the UFC, all three of those stoppage victories have come within a span of 66 days. As he juggles between welterweight and middleweight, Khamzat Chimaev might finally want to zero in on the heavier weight-class after the cancellation of his highly anticipated bout against Leon Edwards.
Khamzat Chimaev has also teased Israel Adesanya about a potential matchup on multiple occasions. Going by his previous performances, Chimaev could certainly be an obstacle for Israel Adesanya at middleweight.
#2 Light-heavyweight who can defeat Israel Adesanya: Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos currently holds a 3-2 record in the light-heavyweight division, his two losses have come against former champion Jon Jones and the #1 contender Glover Teixeira. Also, Thiago Santos can boast of a TKO victory over current champion Jan Blachowicz which earned him the 'Performance of the Night' honors. Prior to this Santos has already competed in the middleweight division and holds a 11-3 record.
Thiago Santos has expressed his desire to face Israel Adesanya after a narrowly missed chance of facing the champion at TUF 27. Considering his performance against Jon Jones, Thiago Santos certainly possesses the skillset to give Israel Adesanya a run for his money.
#2 Middleweight who can defeat Israel Adesanya: Kevin Holland
Being the third UFC fighter to win all five fights in a year, Kevin Holland had a fantastic 2020. While Kevin Holland is scheduled to face Derek Brunson in his next outing, 'The Trailblazer' has a bit of a history with the middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. According to Kevin Holland, the two initially had their first altercation at UFC 227 and it has only escalated over the years. Immediately after Kevin Holland 'slammed' Charlie Ontiveros into a verbal submission, he even engaged with Israel Adesanya in a verbal spat.
Kevin Holland is one of the few remaining top 10 middleweights who are yet to face Israel Adesanya. This coupled with his spectacular ongoing run makes him a potential contender to beat 'Izzy'.
#1 Light-heavyweight who can defeat Isarel Adesanya:
Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz is set to defend his light-heavyweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. Like on various previous occasions, Blachowicz enters the fight as an underdog on Saturday night. However, like on previous occasions, there is every possibility of Jan Blachowicz pulling off yet another upset.
Aided by his legendary 'Polish Power', Jan Blachowicz has every chance of defeating Israel Adesanya if he can land flush.
#1 Middleweight who can defeat Israel Adesanya: Marvin Vettori
Marvin Vettori is currently riding a four-fight win streak and has earned the 'Fight of the Night' and 'Performance of the Night' honours in his last two outings. Vettori's last loss came against none other than Israel Adesanya where he put on a spectacular display. This is the only fight in 'Izzy's' career where he wasn't able to assert his dominance and one judge even had his opponent winning. 'The Italian Dream' could potentially beat Israel Adesanya if a rematch between the two ever comes to fruitition.
