UFC President Dana White says Israel Adesanya is already targeting his return just days after his UFC 287 victory.
Israel Adsanya defeated Alex Pereira in their title rematch at UFC 287 earlier this month. He got his revenge against Pereira after two losses in kickboxing and one previous loss in the UFC in their fighting careers.
After reclaiming the middleweight throne, Adesanya has no shortage of potential contenders to face next. This includes the surging Dricus du Plessis, who Adesanya has had his fair share of beef with in recent weeks.
An emotional win over a top fighter like Pereira would make a lot of fighters take time off, but not Adesanya.
Dana White: Israel Adesanya Wants To Stay Busy After UFC 287
During the ‘UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen’ post-fight press conference, White was asked about when fans can expect Israel Adesanya to return.
“This guy was already blowing Hunter and the boys up: ‘When’s my next fight? I want to fight again’,” White said. “Israel Adesanya wants to fight nonstop, constantly, and wants to fight everybody. We’re working on that, and he’ll fight again soon, probably by the end of summer.”
Before the loss to Pereira at UFC 281 last November, Adesanya was undefeated in his middleweight MMA career. His only other loss came against Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight belt at UFC 259.
The problem that Israel Adesanya has at middleweight is the fact that outside of Pereira, he holds multiple wins over most of the top contenders. This includes Robert Whittaker, who still believes he can earn a third fight with Adesanya.
The UFC has a unique puzzle on its hands for Adesanya’s next potential opponent, although when Adesanya wants to fight again is the least of their worries.