P. Borrachinha (left) was defeated by I. Adesanya (right) at UFC 253. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufc
Away from the octagon since his defeat to Nassourdine Imavov in February, Israel Adesanya is already planning his return. The former middleweight champion, who is going through the worst streak of his career with three consecutive losses, revealed in an interview with The Sun that he has two rivals in his sights for his next fight: Paulo Borrachinha and Sean Strickland.
Adesanya and Borrachinha faced off in September 2020, when Izzy, then the champion, defended his belt by knocking out the Brazilian in the second round in Abu Dhabi. The fight ended the Minas Gerais native's unbeaten streak and intensified the rivalry between the two. Five years later, the Nigerian is open to a rematch.
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"I don't need to say much (about facing Borrachinha). It would be fun. It would give him a chance for redemption, like they did for me," he declared.
Sean Strickland , in turn, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history by dethroning Adesanya in September 2023 in Australia, with a dominant performance throughout five rounds. The defeat marked the loss of the belt to Izzy, who then went through an unstable period in the octagon.
"If Strickland wants to fight, sure. If not, that's fine too," he said.
At 36, Adesanya doesn't yet have a set return date, but he says he's motivated to bounce back and re-establish himself among the top names in the division. A rematch against Borrachinha or Strickland could represent not only a chance to regain his morale but also to reignite his pursuit of the middleweight title.
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