Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev super-fight next, demands rising UFC star

Following his big middleweight title win over Alex Pereira at UFC 287, many fans and observers have asked who could be next for Israel Adesanya. One name that has come up more than once is fast-rising star Khamzat Chimaev.

One observer who feels like the best middleweight title fight for the UFC to book would be Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev, is current featherweight prospect Jack Shore.

‘The Tank’ recently took to Twitter with a simple post, literally telling the UFC’s matchmakers to book a fight between ‘The Last Stylebender’ and ‘Borz’.

“Izzy v Khamzat. Book it.”

Shore’s tweet was met with mixed reactions from fans on the social media website, with many suggesting that Chimaev would need to beat at least one highly ranked middleweight contender before getting a title shot.

The last time Khamzat Chimaev was in action was in September. After he missed weight for a planned bout with Nate Diaz, ‘Borz’ instead found himself matched with Kevin Holland in a 180 lb catchweight fight.

Chimaev easily dealt with ‘The Trailblazer’, submitting him in just over two minutes. He's widely believed to be planning a permanent move to 185 lbs in the near future.

‘Borz’ has already called out Israel Adesanya on multiple occasions, most recently taking to Twitter to demand a fight with ‘The Last Stylebender’ in three separate posts.

---

Does Israel Adesanya have any other potential opponents in pipeline outside of Khamzat Chimaev?

Following his middleweight title win at UFC 287, many prospective opponents have been spoken about for Israel Adesanya, including Khamzat Chimaev.

A fifth bout with Alex Pereira seems out of the picture, despite ‘Poatan’ holding a 3-1 lead over Adesanya. UFC president Dana White has suggested Pereira will be moving up to 205 lbs for his next bout.

The next-highest ranked fighters are all opponents ‘The Last Stylebender’ has already beaten, from Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori to Jared Cannonier and Paulo Costa. One possible opponent for Adesanya, though, could be #6 ranked Dricus du Plessis.

‘The Last Stylebender’ seemed to aim an angry rant at ‘Stillknocks’ during the weekend’s post-even press conference, refusing to name him but claiming he’d “drag his carcass across South Africa” if they were to fight.

Either way, it’s unlikely that we’ll get confirmation on Adesanya’s next opponent for a while yet, as he won't be expected to fight again until late 2023.