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#2. Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
Given the struggles of other potential contenders, such as Paulo Costa and Darren Till, one outside bet for a possible opponent for Israel Adesanya could be Sean Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ is currently ranked at No.7 in the middleweight division, but could climb if he defeats Jack Hermansson in February.
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Overall, though, Strickland is undoubtedly on one of the best runs of his UFC career and of any middleweight currently operating in the promotion. His last loss came way back in 2018. Since moving to 185 pounds, he’s gone 5-0, with stoppages of Nordine Taleb and Brendan Allen to go alongside decision wins over Jack Marshman, Krzysztof Jotko and Uriah Hall.
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The most recent of those wins came in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card last July. While it certainly wasn’t a thrilling performance, the fact ‘Tarzan’ easily dealt with a dangerous striker over five rounds was definitely impressive.
Add in the fact that Strickland appears to be becoming more and more outspoken, albeit sometimes in a controversial way, and the UFC could well decide that he’s a marketable enough fighter to face Adesanya later in 2022, particularly if he can beat Hermansson and then another ranked opponent.
#1. Israel Adesanya vs. Colby Covington
It sounds crazy to suggest that a fighter who’s never stepped into the octagon as a middleweight could end up facing Israel Adesanya in 2022, particularly if ‘The Last Stylebender’ still holds the UFC title in the division. However, Colby Covington is no regular fighter.
‘Chaos’ has lost twice to current UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. While there’d be some interest in a trilogy, the truth is that Usman has fresher opponents to face right now. That leaves Covington in a bit of a bind, particularly after he’s done with his fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.
However, a move to 185 pounds could make a lot of sense for ‘Chaos’. He’s not a small welterweight and could easily pack enough muscle on to become a powerful middleweight.
More to the point, though, his outstanding wrestling could give high-level middleweights like Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier and Darren Till some serious issues. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see him dominate one before calling out Adesanya.
If that fight were to be signed, then quite how ‘The Last Stylebender’ would deal with the pressure and takedowns of Covington would be a major question mark, especially given how he lost to Jan Blachowicz in 2021.
This sounds like an odd fight, but look a little deeper and it could actually be the most intriguing fight that the UFC could offer Adesanya right now.
