MMA Knockout

UFC Veteran Suggests Unlikely Opponent for Israel Adesanya Following UFC 305 Loss

A fighter-turned-analyst wants to see Israel Adesanya in his first non-title fight since Feb. 2019 against a former champion.

Zain Bando

Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Israel Adesanya reacts during his fight with Sean Strickland (not pictured) in UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena.
Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Israel Adesanya reacts during his fight with Sean Strickland (not pictured) in UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. / Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa (17-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) briefly played matchmaker on Saturday night's UFC Vegas 96 post-fight show.

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Chiesa served as a desk analyst for the event, and while the panel was discussing the status of the middleweight division, Chiesa, who has been part of the promotion since 2012, offered up an interesting perspective regarding what fights to make for two of the organization's former champions

Given that Israel Adesanya failed to regain his title in a fourth-round submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis, along with Jiří Procházka getting brutally finished by Alex Pereira in two out of his last three outings at 205, Chiesa said it would be the perfect stylistic matchup and a fresh fight.

Procházka confirmed in a new YouTube video posted Sunday morning that a move to middleweight is being considered, but Adesanya would likely not be a future opponent. Of course, anything is possible.

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"You know, it's tough to say," Chiesa said regarding Adesanya's future. "I don't see him in a position where he's not in a main event spot. But this is what I am going to say: they've [the MMA community] been tossing around this rumor that Jiří Procházka might be coming down to middleweight. And, if that may be true, I am all-in for an Israel Adesanya-Jiří Procházka main event in Australia or New Zealand. I'm just throwing it out there. I think that would be a very fun fight."

Given that the UFC's remaining location and event schedule for the rest of the year is full, it would be hard to assume that a potential fight between the two could occur before the end of the year. However, the promotion has been keen to make unique bookings at inopportune times.

Adesanya is 4-4 in his last eight fights, having not competed in a non-title fight since Feb. 2019. Meanwhile, Procházka has not won back-to-back fights since June 2022, last defeating Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 300 in April.

For now, only time will tell, as both division continue to proceed with its regular week-to-week movement.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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