Following Israel Adesanya’s devastating knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC 287, we’re faced with the question once again: what’s next at middleweight?
The champion now sits on wins over each of the top 5 contenders in his division, with no obvious next title contender. This will require crafty matchmaking from the UFC – let’s examine some of the options for both of Saturday’s main event fighters.
Robert Whittaker
Robert Whittaker (#1, at the time this was written) sits at 0-2 against the and-again champion. Coming off of a one-sided win against Marvin Vettori, the chronically #1 contender awaits his next booking, as the matchmakers were likely waiting for Saturday’s results before moving forward. Pereira losing the belt loses the very palatable Whittaker/Pereira matchup for the belt; however, if the UFC doesn’t have plans for an Adesanya/Pereira trilogy, and Pereira intends to stay at 185, the matchup with Whittaker may still have some merit for the #1 contender spot and could provide the stylistic test for Pereira that many fans have been calling for.
Vettori, Cannonier and Costa
With Marvin Vettori (#3) coming off of a single win over Roman Dolidze (#9), Jared Cannonier (#4) coming off of one win over Sean Strickland (#7), and Paulo Costa (#5) a win over Luke Rockhold, none of these three seems to have put together a case for their rematch (or in Vettori’s case, trilogy) against the champion. Any of these fighters could be matched up against Alex Pereira next to fast-track either opponent back to the title picture. However, it is likely that following his recent win over Derek Brunson, one of these fighters will be matched up against…
Dricus Du Plessis
The #6 ranked South African holds notable wins over Brad Tavares, Darren Till, and Derek Brunson, with finishes over the latter two. With Adesanya back on the throne, we can expect to see Dricus Du Plessis receive some top 5 or even top 3 matchmaking to get a fresh face into the title picture soon – a win over any of the top 5 contenders could validate his case for a shot at the belt.
Khamzat Chimaev
While there is (as usual) a great deal of speculation around Khamzat Chimaev’s next assignment in the octagon, the Chechen star called out the #5 ranked Paulo Costa on Twitter early yesterday, April 8th. Chimaev posted a photo of a scale reading 98.5kg (217.16lbs), insinuating that his welterweight days are in the past. The two have been feuding since September of last year after an altercation occurred between the fighters and their training partners at the UFC PI. No more than words were exchanged, but the seed was planted for the plausible match in the octagon. While the fight is not discernibly in the works yet, Chimaev committing to the 185lbs and signing to fight a top 5 opponent would be a massive step forward for the middleweight division, injecting this exponentially rising star into title contention.
205?
Without a clear next step for either Pereira or Adesanya, a jump to light heavyweight is plausible for both men. Pereira has been rumoured to make a move 205; the former champ could find himself in a #1 contender fight or even a shot at the belt, with the star power he now holds and the stylistic intrigue that is his hypothetical fight with Jamahal Hill. With his training partner and cornerman Glover Texeria’s fighting days over, there is seemingly nothing preventing Pereira from making the jump.
Adesanya’s initial attempt at challenging for the 205 belts was unsuccessful, losing a decision to former champion Jan Blachowicz in March of 2021. With a newly seated champion, it is not improbable that Adesanya takes the step up in weight once again to attempt to become the UFC’s latest double champ.
The last two years have been a mixed bag for the middleweight division; Alex Pereira’s signing to the UFC was an injection of talent that 185 desperately needed after Adesanya’s dominance over his contenders. With the majority of the top 15 awaiting their next assignments, we can expect a great deal of 185 fight announcements over the coming weeks and see what next step both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira take after this. While the rivalry is seemingly dormant for now, we can thank both men for reinvigorating the UFC’s Middleweight division with their highest-level matches and finishes over one another.
What did you make of the UFC 287 main event?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
