Israel Adesanya isn’t closing the door on jumping back up to light heavyweight or heavyweight in the near future.
Adesanya had a run at 205 pounds in the UFC back in 2021, when he aimed to become a dual-weight champion. However, Jan Blachowicz bested him via decision.
The loss was Adesanya’s first and only in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. That loss hasn’t prevented him from dominating at his championship weight class of middleweight.
He’s currently on a three-fight win streak of title defenses. While he continues to dominate 185 pounds, that doesn’t mean his aspirations at 205 pounds have gone away.
According to his manager, Tim Simpson, who tells MMA Junkie that Adesanya hasn’t closed the door on a return to light heavyweight, or even heavyweight for that matter.
“He’s mentioned he wants to go back up to 205,” Simpson said. “Obviously, the last time he came up short. But I think he would be very comfortable in that division again if that’s what he wants to do.