While Israel Adesanya failed to recapture his middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, an MMA veteran is still excited for what’s next, naming one opponent he’d love to see the legend take on.
‘The Last Stylebender’ lost via a fourth-round face crank after falling foul to his opponent’s remarkable engine.
Michael Chiesa wants Israel Adesanya to fight Jiri Prochazka
On August 17, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Israel Adesanya clashed with Dricus Du Plessis in an all-African grudge match.
Throughout the build-up, the pair traded verbal insults in abundance, with both men desperate to claim the bragging rights in the cage.
Alas, despite showing flashes of his brilliant best, the Nigerian-born athlete couldn’t fend off his South African rival’s relentless attacks.
Following a heavy right hand, Du Plessis dragged his nemesis to the floor and locked in the submission, forcing his opponent to tap.
Sheesh: Daniel Cormier told ‘You’re not very tough’ by MMA legend
Subsequently, the world started wondering about what’s next for Du Plessis, with the rumor mill suggesting opponents at both middleweight and light heavyweight.
But while many are fixated on what the future has in store for ‘Stillknocks’, Michael Chiesa has a dream match-up he’d love to see Adesanya in.
Talking to ESPN, he pitched a potential clash between the New Zealander and Jiri Prochazka that would undoubtedly make for a spectacular striking extravaganza.
He said: “I don’t see him in a position where he’s not in a main event spot. But this is what I am going to say: they’ve [the MMA community] been tossing around this rumor that Jiří Procházka might be coming down to middleweight.
“And, if that may be true, I am all-in for an Israel Adesanya-Jiří Procházka main event in Australia or New Zealand. I’m just throwing it out there. I think that would be a very fun fight.”
Robert Whittaker warns Alex Pereira not to fight Dricus Du Plessis
With Adesanya looking down the barrel of matches to propel himself back into the title picture, Du Plessis is at the other end of the spectrum, eyeing a super fight with Alex Pereira.
In the aftermath of UFC 305, ‘Poatan’ uploaded an image of himself to Instagram, posing with his television paused on the victor having the belt wrapped around his waist.
Sheesh: Daniel Cormier told ‘You’re not very tough’ by MMA legend
He captioned the post: “Coming down to 185 one more time.”
However, Robert Whittaker explained why he believes the Brazilian should run away from Du Plessis and not look back.
Shots fired: What happened when Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen clashed on stage