Up next for UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is an expected attempt at becoming a dual titleholder when he challenges Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight belt early next year. After that, however, remains to be seen.
But from the sound of it, if it was up to Adesanya, a 205-pound title win would be followed up by showdown with rival Jon Jones next summer – preferably with fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
If – or perhaps when – Adesanya fights Jones, “The Last Stylebender” is confident of whom the main attraction will be.
“I’m already the A-side,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m the guy that’s actually active. I’m the guy that’s actually fighting.”
To that point, Adesanya (20-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has fought nine times – all wins – inside the octagon since February 2018. During that same period, Jones (26-1 MMA, 20-1 UFC) has four fights, also all victories, including his two most recent narrow decisions against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes.
Jones, who vacated his light heavyweight title earlier this year, has said he intends to make a long-awaited move up to heavyweight, but he has no clear first booking with Daniel Cormier retired and Franis Ngannou expected to rematch champ Stipe Miocic.
Perhaps that instead leaves the door open for an Adesanya superfight – especially if he owns Jones’ former championship and especially if they can pack the Las Vegas Raiders’ shiny new stadium.
That would be the ideal scenario for Adesanya.
“I like fighting with no audience, but that fight in particular, I want there to be an audience,” Adesanya said. “But if there’s no audience for that fight, as well, I don’t mind. I just feel it’ll be glorious in a packed stadium with 75,000 people, you know. But, yeah, I don’t mind. I kind of like the last fight (vs. Paulo Costa), where you could here the crispness of the strikes, the impact of the leg kicks, the shots sounding like gun shots. Either way is good for me.”
Israel Adesanya: ‘I’m already the A-side’ in potential Jon Jones superfight