Israel Adesanya’s Move to 205 Pounds is Coming in 2021

Not long ago, reports surfaced that current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was moving up in weight to challenge for the light-heavyweight title. Some felt that title shot should go to Glover Teixeira, who’s been on an incredible win streak lately. New reports claim that Israel Adesanya’s move to 205 pounds is very likely to be next.

Money talks and the UFC knows that Adesanya’s light-heavyweight title shot would draw in more viewers. Today, we’re going to talk about what this means for the sport moving forward.

Let’s get into it!

The UFC’s 205-Pound Division is Home to a New Champion

When most MMA fans think of the light-heavyweight division, Jon Jones immediately comes to mind. Jones won the title back in 2011 and has yet to formally lose his title in the ring. Many consider Jon to be the best pound-for-pound fighter alive right now.

Back in June, news broke that Jon Jones was vacating his light-heavyweight title to move up in weight. Fans have been calling for Jon to compete at heavyweight for years. He finally seems ready to take that chance and challenge for the heavyweight title.

Everyone was then left wondering what would happen to the light-heavyweight belt. Eventually, the UFC announced that Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz would be fighting for the vacant title. Most US online sports betting websites listed Reyes as the significant betting favorite heading into this matchup.

Incredibly, Jan Blachowicz defeated Reyes via 2nd-round TKO. It was the biggest win of his entire career. Jan is now eagerly waiting to hear who he will defend his title against for the first time.

There are several different options on the table for the new champion. That includes the current middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya. Some also feel that Glover Teixeira should be next in line for the title.

Here’s a quick update on what is happening here.

Here’s Another Update on Israel Adesanya’s Move to 205 Pounds

It’s easy to see why so many people consider Israel Adesanya one of the best MMA fighters in the world right now. He’s undefeated at 20-0 and has a level of striking that’s unparalleled in the sport. His most recent win over Paulo Costa was one of the most impressive title performances in UFC history.

Israel is not short on confidence and many were unsurprised to hear he was interested in moving to 205 pounds. Becoming a double champ is a special thing in MMA. This could also set Adesanya up for a massive fight with Jon Jones in the future.

As we’ve already mentioned, there are some that feel Glover Teixeira should receive the next title shot at 205 pounds. He’s now 41 years old and is likely entering into the twilight of his career. Israel Adesanya disagrees, and feels he should receive first dibs on the title.

“I’m pretty confident it will be my next opponent,” Adesanya said of Jan Blachowicz. “Glover had an amazing fight. He did very well. If I’m being objectively honest, rightly so he calls for a title shot cause he feels like he’s up there in age and this is his second shot. But I got there first and I feel like I’ve got the right cards in my hand to make this happen. Not saying he’s not going to get a title shot but I was first in line.”

It’s an interesting dilemma right now. The UFC needs to weigh its options and decide who will receive the title shot at light-heavyweight. Jan Blachowicz seems content with either option, yet it seems likely that he would prefer the shot against Israel.

We’ll continue offering updates on this situation over the next few weeks. In the meantime, the sport continues to move forward!

McGregor vs. Poirier 2 is Now Official for UFC 257!

The UFC is dependent on big stars to draw in eyeballs. Since 2014, Conor McGregor has been the biggest superstar in MMA. He took the sport by storm and managed to win world championships in two different divisions.

Unfortunately, McGregor has been inactive over the past few years. He briefly made a move into boxing in 2017 against Floyd Mayweather. He then lost a title fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov before coming back to beat Donald Cerrone this past January.

Conor’s “retirement” didn’t last long. For months, reports have been claiming that McGregor would be taking on Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 on January 23rd. This fight has now been made official by the UFC!

BetOnline, one of the best online sportsbooks in the world, is now offering odds on each fighter to win. At the moment, Conor McGregor is listed as the -235 favorite. He holds a win over Poirier in the past and seems highly motivated to get a victory in this bout.

Dustin Poirier is extremely experienced and seems desperate to earn another title shot. Interestingly, he comes in as the +200 underdog in this bout. A bet on “The Diamond” could end up paying off massively.

There’s a lot happening with the UFC right now. It seems likely that Israel Adesanya’s move to 205 pounds will take place next year. Hopefully, we get to see him take on Jon Jones before the end of 2021, as well.

Do you think Adesanya should receive the next light-heavyweight title shot? Who do you think wins between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier? Let us know in the comments section below!