Following his unfortunate defeat at UFC 312, Sean Strickland’s future in the Octagon seems a bit fuzzy for a moment. The Californian lost his bout against Dricus Du Plessis and lost the chance to don the middleweight championship belt again. And this arguably put him out of the title picture currently. Israel Adesanya had a similar story at UFC, Saudi Arabia. The former 2-time middleweight champion was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov. This has put Dana White in a great dilemma. Who can he put up against Strickland and Adesanya? Well, Brendan Schaub had an answer to that.

Both ‘Tarzan’ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ seem to have crossed their prime. Well, they are nearing the age of 40. Adesanya is on a 3-fight losing streak, that began with a unanimous decision loss against Strickland at UFC 293. Even though the New Zealander had a massive fanbase, his popularity has taken a hit with his back-to-back defeats. On the other hand, Strickland has a character that’s not good for the PPVs. But if we put the two together for a rematch, things might just work. 

That’s what Schaub had to say during episode #1062 of The Fighter and The Kid. He said, “He [Strickland] is a character. But that style doesn’t attract, you know, it’s not making him a pay-per-view star. It’s his character which is why everyone wants to tune in and watch. Style is not selling tickets. So now what you do with them, I see not anytime soon, but I’d like him and Izzy to fight again. They’re kinda both at a crossroads. I don’t think either of them are going to beat the young lions.”

Well, ‘Thicc Boi’ wasn’t alone in asking for a rematch between Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. Even the undefeated South African UFC middleweight champion believed that it was the match to make for the next big middleweight event.

 Let’s see what ‘Stillknocks’ had to say. 

Dricus Du Plessis suggests Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya as UFC’s next move

Dricus Du Plessis retained his middleweight championship belt in style and impressed the fighting community with his performance at UFC 312. But what’s next for his opponent? He sidelined Robert Whittaker and Imavov to pit ‘Tarzan’ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ against each other. 

During the UFC 312 post-fight press conference, Du Plessis said, “I know what’s going to happen next. I can almost guarantee you what is happening next. Any bet that he’s fighting Adesanya next? Yeah, I just thought of that. Imavov? No way, he’s already shown that he beats that style every time. Oh, Rob, he said Rob only has a blitz. That would be great. Na, I think the Adesanya rematch will be amazing. Yeah, that’s what is going to happen. It’s going to be a Fight Night main event, I know it.”

Now, we need to wait for Dana White to consider the matchup and officially announce it. Needless to say, Strickland would get the chance to prove that the last win he got against Adesanya was not just a fluke. Meanwhile, the Kiwi would use that opportunity to strive and get back into the title picture. 

If the rematch actually happens, who do you think would rise victorious? Is there any other fight in the middleweight realm that you’d love to watch? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.