Who Should Israel Adesanya Face After Robert Whittaker Win at UFC 271?

Israel Adesanya remains the UFC middleweight champion—but what's next? 

The Nigerian-born New Zealander (22-1) returned to action in the main event of UFC 271 on Saturday night in Houston, where he took on Australia's Robert Whittaker (23-6).

Whittaker put forth a great performance in the fight, completing four of 10 takedowns and falling just shy of the champion in terms of significant strikes. But he ultimately came up short, as Adesanya was named the winner by unanimous decision.

It was Adesanya's second win over Whittaker after he knocked the Aussie out to win the title in 2019. That's a clear indication of his dominance: He's beaten so many top-flight foes that he's now having to recycle old ones to keep busy, just as dominant champs like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre did before him.

The good news is that Adesanya still has some compelling matchup options on his menu at middleweight—some fresh, others reheated.

Keep scrolling to see the three fights we think make the most sense for the once-beaten middleweight king.

Sometimes, the UFC matchmakers have it so easy.

A champion of Adesanya's ilk always has multiple options when it comes to opponents, but after his UFC 271 victory over Whittaker, one man is clearly leading the pack: Jared Cannonier (15-5).

The 37-year-old, who came up on the Alaskan MMA scene, began his UFC career as a heavyweight and, after a pitstop at light heavyweight, has become one of the most consistent and concussive forces at middleweight.

Since dropping down to the division, Cannonier has gone 5-1, with his lone loss coming against the former champion Whittaker. His victories have come against David Branch, Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson, Kelvin Gastelum and, most recently, Derek Brunson, whom he pummeled into dust on the UFC 271 main card.

Cannonier was dropped in the first round of his fight with Brunson but surged back emphatically in Round 2, stopping his foe with a vicious volley of elbows. The win alone was enough to assert him as the middleweight division's top contender, and his post-fight interview erased any doubt.

"I want that shot next," Cannonier shouted to cage-side UFC president Dana White. "I get that shot next. It's me, nobody else. Me."

White was asked about Cannonier's demand at the UFC 271 post-fight press conference and didn't seem keen to argue with the former heavyweight.

"I was excited to see that fight to see how it was gonna play out," he told reporters. "It was an awesome fight and yeah, I'm not gonna say no to Cannonier."

With Adesanya noting post-fight that he hopes to fight again in June, the stars simply seem to be aligning for this one. It's the most compelling option available for the champ at present.

But it's not the only one.

Jared Cannonier may be the best choice for Israel Adesanya's next challenger, but if he's not available, we've got a great Plan B: Sean Strickland (25-3).

Strickland has become one of the most talked-about fighters at middleweight, in large part because of his habit of pushing the envelope with comments outside the cage but also because of his exploits inside it.

The controversial Californian has gone 5-0 since moving from welterweight to middleweight, most notably picking up a pair of decision wins over highly regarded contenders Uriah Hall and Jack Hermansson in his last two bouts. While he's still lacking the kind of marquee win that usually catapults a fighter into title contention—like Cannonier's win over Brunson—he's right on the cusp, and his polarizing persona could easily push him the rest of the way.

He'd make a great B-side for Adesanya, and the champ seems to know it.

"Sean, that's easy money," he told reporters ahead of UFC 271. "And also he talks a lot so that's big money. That's big easy money."

Again, Strickland probably needs a win over a top-five foe to cement himself as the top middleweight contender, but if Cannonier isn't available when Adesanya wants to fight again, this is an excellent consolation prize.

Robert Whittaker is now 0-2 in fights with Israel Adesanya. Ordinarily, those results would put an end to their rivalry, but this is an unusual situation.

Whittaker's first loss to Adesanya was decisive. His second was anything but. A significant number of viewers seemed to score the fight in his favor, influenced primarily by his takedowns and the champion's low output. Chief among those viewers were UFC lightweight stars Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler, both of whom took to Twitter to question the verdict.

Whittaker also believes he won the fight.

"Breaking it down, I think I lost that first round, and I put myself back together. I think I beat him to every punch," he told reporters post-fight. "I got takedowns.

"... I thought I beat him. I thought I did enough. I got inside his reach. ... He didn't land anything that really hurt me but that one shot in the first."

Adesanya made it clear after UFC 271 that he's excited to fight some "fresh meat." Whittaker however, was adamant that a third fight between them is inevitable—whether it happens soon or down the line.

"A third fight between me and Izzy is inevitable. It's inevitable because I'm going to stomp anyone who comes in front of me again," he said. "And he knows it too. That's why he said, 'I'll be seeing you in the future.' And I don't see him losing the belt anytime soon.

"I think I'm the person to beat him."

The only question is how much work Whittaker has to do earn that opportunity. We're guessing he'll have to win at least a few, but who knows?