Could Jan Blachowicz Fight Israel Adesanya At Middleweight?
At UFC 259 in March 2021, Israel Adesanya attempted to become a double champ when he moved up to light heavyweight to face the champion Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz was able to get a decision victory as he prevented Adesanya from gaining a second belt. Since that fight, Adesanya has defended the middleweight title three times, while Blachowicz lost his belt to Glover Teixeira.
After losing his belt, Blachowicz got a decision victory over Aleksander Rakic and called for a title shot. However, current champion Jiri Prochazka wants to rematch Teixeira. This leaves Blachowicz without a fight. If UFC gold is Blachowicz’s goal, a move down to middleweight to fight Adesanya may be worthwhile.
On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Blachowicz discussed the possibility of moving down to middleweight to rematch Adesanya.
“Maybe I have to cut the weight and give him a rematch in his category,” Blachowicz said.
Quote from MMA Fighting
This was not a joke from Blachowicz. He doubled down and clarified that he would make the move down to fight Adesanya.
“If I have a chance, why not? For Izzy and his belt, to fight for the belt? I can try.”
Quote from MMA Fighting
Could Blachowicz make 185?
Getting down from 205 pounds to 185 pounds is not an easy task. That is especially true for someone as large as Blachowicz. In his interview with Helwani, Blachowicz said that he fought at as low as 200 pounds during his Muay Thai career. It is certainly nice to have experience at a weight lower than 205 pounds, but Blachowicz would still have another 15 pounds to lose.
With that being said, the UFC has worked closely with athletes in the past to ensure they can make weight. For example, Dan Hooker’s return to featherweight and Jose Aldo’s move to bantamweight each came with some speculation. Both fighters ended up making the weight. In Aldo’s case, he managed to make bantamweight five times. Obviously, every fighter is different, but it is encouraging to see the UFC successfully assist other fighters in dropping weight. Blachowicz may be next in line.
What would a Blachowicz vs Adesanya fight look like at middleweight?
Seeing Blachowicz and Adesanya compete again in a different weight class would shake things up. Ultimately, this would favor Adesanya. Blachowicz would likely lose some strength from the weight cut, and he may see a reduction in his chin and cardio. However, he would still have the size advantage that helped him win the third fight. In addition, I did a film study on Adesanya and found that Blachowicz had a strong game plan surrounding the feints of Adesanya while ensuring he was attacking the body frequently. He may be able to implement those same tactics to help him defeat Adesanya for a second time.
Trying to forecast any fight is difficult. However, it is even tougher when one fighter is moving a weight class. It is tough to exactly pinpoint how a Blachowicz and Adesanya rematch would go at middleweight, but it is not unreasonable to believe that Blachowicz would have a better shot at beating Adesanya than other middleweight contenders. Adesanya is currently rumored to be fighting Alex Pereira next. If Adesanya wins that fight, Blachowicz may just be the best option for Adesanya’s next title defense.
