In case you somehow missed it, Sean Strickland is UFC middleweight champion of the world. Strickland became the new 185-pound king after an impressive unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 293 this past weekend. It will go down as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history as we now have one of the most entertaining, yet controversial and outspoken fighters as a champion. The question now is, what's next for Sean Strickland? Here are five potential opponents that can serve as his first title defense following UFC 293.
Israel Adesanya
Although many seem to be against the idea, it looks like Adesanya could end up getting an immediate rematch. That was after UFC president Dana White claimed he looked slow and wanted to see how things would be different in a rematch.
“I think you do the rematch,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Absolutely. The rematch is interesting. That could be the thing too, you know, when you think about, you're going into the [Alex] Pereira fight, such a big fight, you've been in there with this guy so many times, you overlook Strickland. I don't know, I don't know the answer to these questions. But Israel does, and I'm looking forward to hearing them.”
Whether Adesanya deserves one or not, he looks to be the likeliest option for Strickland's first title defense. If that's the case, we'll find out for sure as to whether it was an off night…or if Strickland just nullified him completely and is a bad matchup.
Dricus du Plessis
Should Adesanya decline an immediate rematch to get some (well-deserved) rest, the next best option if Dricus du Plessis. The South African brawler was originally supposed to face Adesanya at UFC 293, but the short turnaround as well as an injury meant he had to decline which resulted in Strickland getting the opportunity in the first place.
Du Plessis has already called for a shot against Strickland before outlining his desire to face Adesanya in a highly-anticipated grudge match soon after.
Me & @SStricklandMMA had the biggest upsets of 2023 so let’s settle this like men I’m ready. After that @stylebender can get a hiding in Africa I don’t want to fight the amateur that fought on Sat I want to beat the best Adysanya, take some time and get your shit together first.
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 11, 2023
Whether he gets it remains to be seen, though. White is not a fan of fighters turning down fights and still seems to be holding it against Du Plessis. It's no fault of his own, but unfortunately, Du Plessis is not the first fighter to get the short end of the stick after turning down a title fight.
Winner of Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Leading up to UFC 293, Adesanya hinted that the winner of the UFC 294 matchup between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev could leapfrog Du Plessis in the pecking order and get the next shot. While Adesanya is not the champion anymore, perhaps Strickland could end up facing one of them.
UFC 294 takes place next month on Oct. 21 so the timeline also works. Additionally, the matchups are very intriguing regardless of the winner. Chimaev is box office and we'd get to see how Strickland's grappling fares against him. Conversely, we get to see how Chimaev deals with the unique upright stance and pressure that Strickland brings.
Costa, meanwhile, still remains an exciting fighter who Strickland notably has beef with. Basically, it's a win-win and arguably the option most fans would like to see — especially if it's Chimaev who comes out on top.
@SStricklandMMA Congratulations 🤝
See you soon Mike 🦾— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) September 10, 2023
Jared Cannonier
Although it's not the most exciting option compared to some others on this list, a rematch between Strickland and Jared Cannonier makes plenty of sense. Cannonier was the last person to defeat Strickland in a close and competitive fight that many, including the champion, felt he should have won.
Cannonier is 7-2 in the division and was also the backup fighter at UFC 293. Given White's current indifference to Du Plessis, it seems to indicate that he's the next fighter in line for a title shot as things stand. Maybe we could see “Tha Killa Gorilla” get rewarded if Adesanya doesn't end up taking a rematch.
Robert Whittaker
This is the least likely option considering Robert Whittaker is coming off a defeat to Du Plessis, but he's an option nonetheless. After all, prior to the Du Plessis loss, “The Reaper” had defeated every middleweight he had faced other than Adesanya. He was certainly hoping for an Adesanya defeat and with Strickland as champion, a pathway for Whittaker to become a two-time middleweight champion has now opened up.
In reality, he will likely need at least one win to get a title shot. But in the event that absolutely nobody else on this list is able to fight Sean Strickland next, perhaps Whittaker can get a shot. It wouldn't be the first time a UFC fighter gets a title shot off a loss.
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