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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 10: Israel Adesanya of New Zealand stands in his corner prior to his middleweight bout against Anderson Silva of Brazil during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in the Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 10: Israel Adesanya of New Zealand stands in his corner prior to his middleweight bout against Anderson Silva of Brazil during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in the Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, took to social media and shared a video grab showing his preparation ahead of UFC 259. ‘The Last Stylebender’ will attempt to reach UFC double champion status as he will take on the light heavyweight champion. Jan Blachowicz and Adesanya have been on a collision course for a while, and the bout was recently confirmed.
Chiefly, Adesanya has been attempting to fill into the 205-pound weight class in the right way to be prepared sufficiently. He posted a video grab with a cheeky emoji teasing his detractors that he was taking performance enhancers. Given his physique, it seems to be that Israel Adesanya is well and truly geared up for UFC 259.
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Getting to double champion status is going to be essential to bolster his legacy going forward in his career. Fighters need to strive towards getting two belts over their shoulders so that fans can get behind them in the GOAT debate. Moreover, this is primarily what Jon Jones is attempting to do as well, considering his move to heavyweight.
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Israel Adesanya to light heavyweight: Where does this leave the middleweights?
Adesanya’s move-up is sure to leave his current division in a state of flux for the majority of the year. However, given the recent state of events when it comes to the top contenders, his absence may not be the worst thing. Several high-level contenders have suffered recent losses, and there’s no fresh face in line for contention.
The only viable name that comes to mind is Robert Whittaker, who ended 2020 with wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. What’s more, Whittaker lost his belt to Adesanya in dominant fashion, and this is why there isn’t much interest in a rematch right now. Furthermore, another top contender in Jack Hermansson suddenly lost his spot atop the heap after falling to Marvin Vettori.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: Robert Whittaker of New Zealand celebrates after his victory over Darren Till of England in their middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on July 26, 2020 in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Adesanya’s move-up can potentially give the divisional contenders a chance to fight amongst themselves and build a sustainable resume. This will create some hype upon Adesanya’s return and leave the fans with a new match-up to be excited about.
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