Israel Adesanya made history for himself at UFC 287. By beating Alex Pereira to reclaim the middleweight title, ‘The Last Stylebender has finally got one back against ‘Poatan’ in their seven-year-long rivalry. 1-1 in the UFC against Pereira, Adesanya now finds himself at a crossroads. With the win, Adesanya has now beaten all of the top 5 contenders in his division. In fact, he has beaten Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori twice in the UFC. Therefore, the next challenge for Adesanya seems to be a lack of challenges.

However, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen may have a solution for the situation and it’s named Dricus Du Plessis. According to the former title challenger, the #6 ranked middleweight is the correct option for the next title fight. Sonnen also had three reasons for picking this route for Adesanya, which he explained via his YouTube channel.

Israel Adesanya has beaten the rankings

Adesanya has respected the rankings as a champion and beaten all the top 5 contenders. He has even lapped some of them. Therefore, the UFC will have to break tradition and look for an opponent outside the top 5, per Chael Sonnen.

The 46-year-old said, “I don’t love the rankings but I also understand that we don’t have to look at the rankings to tell us what to do. We can look to the rankings for guidance. But the rankings don’t tell us what to do.”

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He later added, “We don’t generally look lower than five, but there again, the rankings don’t control the matchmaking. They’re just there for guidance. Izzy has beaten everybody else.”

Secondly, Sonnen mentioned the African issue that has been brewing between Adesanya and Du Plessis

The African connection

Dricus Du Plessis raised a few eyebrows when he questioned Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman’s African heritage. Both Usman and Adesanya were born in Nigeria but moved out at a young age. Du Plessis used this fact to take a dig at them and claim he was more of an African than them.

Read More– “Made for This” – Israel Adesanya Likens UFC 287 Victory to Iconic Muhammad Ali Moment

During the UFC 287 post-fight presser, Adesanya stated his intention to “drag his [Du Plessis’s] carcass across South Africa” without name-dropping him. DDP has since fired back saying, “We are Africa we fear nothing.”

For Chael P. Sonnen, this tension is reason enough to lock them in a cage and throw away the key. He said, “The champion’s opinion matters… this African [thing] matters… whatever got to him and bothered him… I mean, these types of things start to matter… “

And finally, he says the UFC should grant the one request Adesanya made after UFC 287.

Adesanya’s single request

For Sonnen, the one simple request Adesanya made after such an impressive run in the UFC should be honored. He highlighted how Adesanya asked to fight fresh blood. He recounted how ‘Izzy’ wants to watch tapes and study and prepare for somebody new that he hasn’t already fought.

Hence, for Sonnen, “Du Plessis does start to make a lot of sense. All of a sudden, you start to look at number six. He’s only asked for one thing. There’s a way to make all of this happen.”

Watch This Story– Who will Alex Pereira fight after UFC 287?

Does Sonnen have a point? Should the UFC look outside the top 5 for Adesanya’s next opponent? And is Du Plessis the right choice for that? Let us know in the comments below.