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By Peter Akinbo
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has been cautioned about the potential challenge posed by welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards as the Nigerian-born fighter prepares for his upcoming bout against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth.
Since stunning the MMA world with his head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman, the Brit has defended his title on two occasions heading into this rematch with Belal Muhammad on July 27 in Manchester.
Edwards has made it clear that he has big goals in mind for his title reign at 170-pounds, where he hopes to break the great Georges St-Pierre’s records.
Though he has no plans to permanently leave welterweight at any point soon, “Rocky” also hopes to challenge himself at middleweight at some stage. With several top names sitting at the top of the division, it could be a very different landscape at 185 pounds by the time Edwards makes his move.
Dave Lovell, Edwards’ head coach, recently shared his thoughts on the middleweight landscape and the possibility of Edwards moving up to challenge for a second title. Speaking to Submission Radio, Lovell expressed his belief that Adesanya may be nearing the end of his career.
“I don’t think Israel (Adesanya) because, in all fairness, I love him and Israel is my brother, but I think he’s coming to the twilight of his career now,” Lovell said.
“If I were him, if he fights Dricus, maybe win the title, defend it once, or even just win that title and retire because he’s earned enough, he’s got nothing more to prove. I wouldn’t like to see Leon fight Israel because we’re all close that way; we’re all friends, so I wouldn’t like to see that.”
While a potential matchup between Adesanya and Edwards seems unlikely due to their friendship, Lovell’s comments highlight the evolving landscape of the middleweight division.
The coach suggested that Edwards could potentially face either Du Plessis or former champion Sean Strickland if he decides to move up in weight class.
As Adesanya prepares for his title challenge against Du Plessis, reports indicate that he has significantly increased his size and strength.
Dan Hooker, Adesanya’s teammate at City Kickboxing, revealed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ has packed on considerable muscle mass during his time away from the Octagon, saying, “Israel is I can’t even bother sparring him at the moment. Like the way he’s hitting me, I think he’s like 105 kilos.
“He’s had some time off. He was carrying some injuries. He spent a lot of time just packing on some size and, like, a lot of strength, bro. And he’s just hitting like a truckman.”
With Adesanya aiming to become the division’s first three-time champion, the potential threat of fighters like Edwards moving up in weight class adds another layer of intrigue to the middleweight title picture.
