Israel Adesanya is the next big thing in MMA and the Nigerian native is deemed to dominate the octagon in the years to come, possibly eclipsing the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor. The latter, however, is still described with "unmatched star power" and the biggest threat to the UFC champ.
The Notorious remains the most influential MMA figure and if his upcoming appearances will lead to successive wins, then Adesanya has a big climb waiting for him before matching McGregor's superstar status.
The next fight date for the Irishman is January 2021 and if he repeats the win he scored over Dustin Poirier in 2014 then it will be an upward trajectory for him.
But right now, the spotlight is on Adesanya and ESPN is honoring the Kiwi fighter as No. 1 on the list of MMA Power Ranking. The 31-year-old occupies the top spot on the account of his recent triumphs on the octagon, the momentum that he is able to sustain so far, his fighting skills, and his star power.
Adesanya is riding high on his UFC exploits in the middleweight and he is the current titleholder. The Last Stylebender, however, is not stopping on his rampage. He is punching for the light heavyweight crown and if the plan materializes as intended, Adesanya will duke it out with Jan Blachowisz in early 2021.
A victory against the Polish will further cement Adesanya's rising status. Per the same report, the MMA star is surging and his star power has been affirmed by the 57,000 spectators attracted by the UFC 243 in Australia. And the fighting urge of Adesanya has extended into the social media platforms.
On Instagram, for instance, the UFC star waging his war of words with Jones got the MMA fans hooked. It's no wonder that Adesanya counts nearly four million followers on IG, which pretty much confirms that he is a strong magnet in the MMA world.
Eugene Bareman, Adesanya's coach, is already preparing for the showdown with Blachowisz, and the man allowed that conquering the light heavyweight champion will break more grounds for his ward. Bareman said he is confident of winning, per the report from MMA Junkie.
The coach admitted that Team Adesanya will be clashing with "an absolute monster" in Blachowisz. But he made clear that Adesanya himself is of the same level and his chief business is: "We slay monsters."
The task of disposing of the monsters as Adesanya starts heading further north on his quest for MMA glory is quite daunting. He might need to deal with the big names out there and prove he can defeat the likes of Jones, Nurmagomedov, and McGregor if only to prove his enduring fighting prowess.
