Former UFC Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has named Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa as potential opponents for his return to the UFC octagon. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is currently on a three-fight losing streak, with his last fight ending in a 2nd round TKO defeat to Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya will be looking to end that poor run of form in the near future and put his name back into title contention, and has named former opponents, Strickland and Costa as potential candidates for his next fight.
Speaking to SunSport, Adesanya said “I don’t have to say much (about Costa). I’d be like cool, alright, that sounds fun. Give him the chance at redemption like people have done for me as well. And Strickland, if he wants to fight, sure.”
Adesanya is currently in a tricky spot in his career with losses against Strickland, Dricus Du Plessis and Imavov in his last three, with the losses against Strickland and Du Plessis coming in title fights however, a win against either Strickland or Costa would put him back in the title picture and potentially leave him only one fight away from a title shot.
Both fights would serve as intriguing rematches for Adesanya. The fight against Costa back in September 2020 at UFC 253 was seen as arguably Adesanya’s toughest matchup at the time however, the Nigerian completely dismantled Costa using a combination of devastating legs kicks and body shots to slow down the Brazilian before delivering a devastating left hook in round two to finish the fight. The fight would serve as an exciting rematch, with the pair’s animosity towards each other likely to be re-sparked in the build-up.
A fight against Strickland would arguably mean more to Adesanya, with Strickland defeating Adesanya for the belt back in September 2023. Strickland completely nullified Adesanya’s attacks in that bout and was able to out strike him, ultimately getting the decision win. For Adesanya, this fight would serve as the perfect opportunity to get revenge on Strickland and would be a huge matchup at Middleweight with both fighters holding massive name value.
