Adesanya Says No To A Strickland Rematch

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shut down a rematch with Sean Strickland.

Adesanya lost his middleweight belt to Strickland in September 2023 at UFC 293 via a unanimous decision. The defeat was a huge upset, especially since Strickland managed to negate Izzy’s game, while also dropping him. Adesanya had the chance to reclaim his belt when he faced Dricus du Plessis in his next fight at UFC 305 in August 2024. However, a submission loss followed, while a stoppage defeat to Nassourdine Imavov in February means he has three defeats in a row. Adesanya’s last win was all the way back in April 2023 when he stopped Alex Pereira to win the middleweight belt at UFC 287. Now, he has no plans of avenging that loss to Sean. 

“If you want to get something done right, do it right the first time. That’s the lesson I learned. And he’s doing other things in his own life. He made the money he wanted to make. But again, me as well, I don’t want to be waiting around. I’ve moved on. I just want to fight. So I will fight — we’ll see. I just want to fight but we’ll see,” Adesanya said 

Options

The rematch against Nassourdine Imavov is possible. A victory would halt the narrative of his decline and prove that the TKO loss was merely a momentary setback. Conversely, if Adesanya avoids the rematch, Imavov will continue to use the victory to climb the rankings, and critics will argue that Adesanya is afraid to face the division’s new guard. 

The most lucrative target, though, is Dricus du Plessis. This matchup offers Adesanya two things: a direct path back to the championship and a chance to avenge his submission loss to Du Plessis. If Adesanya is truly motivated to be champion again, he must take this path, using the fight to showcase his improved grappling defense and remind fans of the dominance he possessed during his first title reign.

Elsewhere, there is a massive commercial fight against Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev is arguably the biggest star in the division. A fight between the two would be a fresh stylistic challenge. Chimaev’s relentless wrestling and grappling would be the ultimate test of Adesanya’s current physical state, giving him the chance to reclaim the middleweight belt.