“Exciting”- After Joe Rogan Warned Israel Adesanya of Dricus du Plessis, Nate Diaz’s Teammate Breaks Silence Over Sean Strickland’s Next Opponent After UFC 293

UFC 293 shook the MMA world to its core. Long-reigning former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was outclassed and dominated at his own game by challenger and current division champ, Sean Strickland. The two were going back and forth until the fight, and everyone was under the impression that Strickland was just a scapegoat for the ‘Stylebender,’ till he got his hands on who he really wanted to beat – Dricus Du Plessis.

Du Plessis came off a major win against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. He was dominant and explosive throughout and the way he beat Whittaker was convincing enough to change the fans’ idea about Du Plessis. They started to take him more seriously. However, he couldn’t fight ‘Izzy’ owing to an injury and now, it seems the Middleweight division has a new champ. In the middle of all this chaos, the question everyone seems to be asking is ‘What is next for the Middleweight division?’. Nate Diaz‘s teammate Jake Shields shares his thoughts on this matter.

Nate Diaz’s teammate Jake Shields finds Israel Adesanya’s title rematch most exciting

Nobody expected Sean Strickland to be as impressive as he was at UFC 293. He did not give Israel Adesanya any room and kept the pressure on him. He did everything he said he would and although he could have resorted to his ground game, which is better than ‘Stylebender’s’, he chose to ‘stand and bang’ with the former champ. In the end, he won the fight by decision. With this win, the entire dynamic and trajectory for the middleweight division went haywire.

In a recent interview, Jake Shields was asked about what he presumed was the future of the middleweight division, with fighters like Dricus Du Plessis, Jared Cannonier, and Israel Adesanya waiting for their shot at the title.

“I personally… I mean those all make sense. I think Dricus would be interesting because, you know, he’s been looking really good. But then, it also, a rematch with ‘Izzy’ because he’s been… well he just got the title back but he’s been you know… you’ve been a champ multiple times. So I think probably ‘Izzy’ I guess or Dricus and then Cannonier would be good too, but… they’ve already fought.“, he said. Cannonier won when he faced Strickland back in 2022. But now, if the two were to fight, things would be much different. 

Despite being spoilt for choice, Sheilds seems to think that a rematch with ‘Izzy’ would be really exciting to see. “A lot of good matchups there but a rematch would be good cause ‘Izzy’s a smart guy. He’s gonna… He’s gonna know what he did. He’s gonna try to break it down. He’s gonna come with a new game plan. But Sean will as well, so that’s why the rematch is exciting.“, he concluded. 

Read More – “It’s Business for Them”- Disheartened Dricus Du Plessis Fires Back at Dana White After UFC President Makes Massive Claim on Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland Rematch

Now, it all boils down to who Strickland wants to fight next. Of course, UFC CEO Dana White will also have a huge say in this matter. Regardless, the next fight for the middleweight title is going to be really exciting.

Joe Rogan’s thoughts on Dricus Du Plessis fighting Israel Adesanya

Joe Rogan knows the who’s who and what’s what of MMA like the back of his hand. That is why, when he is shaken by the brute strength and size of a fighter, it is not to be taken lightly. In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the host shared his thoughts on Dricus Du Plessis.

He said that every time he shook hands with Du Plessis, he was left amazed at his strength and stature. The UFC commentator said that he walks around as a middleweight but his stature and strength are that of a heavyweight. Then, in the context of his fight against Israel Adesanya, Joe Rogan seemed pretty unsure of the outcome.

He referred to the time Du Plessis dominated Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 – the fighter who had given Israel Adesanya a really tough fight and said that now that Strickland has styled on Adesanya, a potential fight like Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya for a title shot against Strickland seems really exciting.

However, It did seem like he wasn’t entirely convinced that Adesanya could secure an effortless win over Du Plessis. In fact, Rogan seemed to be in awe of Du Plessis’ power and his striking abilities.

Who is next for Sean Strickland? Is the fight between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis finally going to happen? Or will Du Plessis opt for a title shot? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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