Israel Adesanya belongs to the upper echelon of UFC talents that have dominated the sport in the past 10 years. However, a rare phase of failure has stung the former title holder as he came up short against current champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. After a good outing, dominating the fight, ‘The Last Stylebender’ ultimately fell short of the finishing line. There has been a widespread buzz that Izzy hasn’t been the same since he dropped his crown to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

MMA fans have witnessed instances like these in the past with dominant champs finally facing their mortality. The downside is that most of them were never able to bounce back from the negative curve. Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, and Jose Aldo are some prominent examples. Is Izzy projected to go down the same path? With no official announcement from UFC top brass,  Adesanya has been waiting for his next challenge and is hoping to fight later this year. Amidst the tension, fans are eager to see him in action again. So, who should he face next?

Israel Adesanya should face Dricus Du Plessis in a rematch feels coach Morne Visser

The middleweight title in recent times has exchanged hands between the top three fighters in the division. After dethroning Adesanya, Sean Strickland failed to maintain his grip on the gold and dropped it to Du Plessis at UFC 297. During a recent conversation with Joe Rogan on his JRE podcast, Izzy shared his insights on whom he wants to take on next. It seems he has some unfinished business with the former champion Strickland. He said, “Strickland definitely, I took his best shots, and I just know I can… I know I can take this guy. I know what I can do.”

Adesanya, following his brief hiatus from the sport, has expressed interest in returning to the Octagon later this year or early 2025. While there has been no announcement for his opponent, Du Plessis’ coach Morne Visser has hinted that a rematch for Izzy against ‘Stillknocks’ could be on the cards. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Visser rightfully lauded Izzy’s skills and offered advice for his next bout.

He said, “We will fight Izzy and Dana’s talking about it. I think that the rematch that will be given to Izzy will be against Dricus, which makes the most sense, two Africans in South Africa. I honestly think that we going to get the rematch against Izzy sometime next year in 2025. The Izzy that faced Dricus, Sean’s got no chance against that Izzy, man. He was the best version of Izzy I’ve ever seen. So if the UFC gives him the rematch, awesome. But I think that Izzy shouldn’t waste his time with s..t like that.”

Given Strickland’s grudge and well-documented rivalry with the South African native, his reaction to Visser’s statement is likely to be negative. The fans will now be waiting to see which of the two fighters gets the nod ahead to face the champion next. While an ideal scenario would pit a showdown between Adesanya and Strickland before squaring off against the champion, ‘Tarzan’ has expressed his desire to fight for the title next.

Strickland is confident that he is fighting for the title next ahead of Israel Adesanya

What is next for perhaps the most competitive division in UFC right now? Who will Dricus Du Plessis face next in his career? This is one of the biggest questions that has been bothering the fans for quite some time now. His last encounter with ‘The Last Stylebender’ was under a lot of speculation, and many felt it was the wrong choice, as Strickland should have got the nod ahead to fight for the title. After the fight was announced, ‘Tarzan’ was not only disappointed but also claimed that the UFC intended to sideline him. However, it seems he has now got his rematch, as revealed by him in his latest post. He shared, “You ain’t ducking me no matter how much how try in interviews! Dana said I’m next in line…. We’re bringing that belt back the America,”

This was the only warning he issued to the champion. In another post, he announced that the fight is fixed and the champion has nowhere to run, “We got it booked, now we’re waiting on Dricus deciding when he wants to lose.” The former champion made it clear that he is super excited about his rematch but is facing a delay from the champion. If we closely look at their last fight, many felt that it was a tough call on the former champion. Since then, Du Plessis has been under the radar of Strickland, and this time, he is confident that he will earn his title back, and convincingly.

So, who do you guys want to see face Dricus Du Plessis fighting next? Should it be Israel Adesanya? Or should it be Sean Strickland? Let us know your pick in the comments below.