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Never one to miss out on a good opportunity, it’s a wonder whether Israel Adesanya will one day look back at his March loss to Jan Blachowicz for the UFC’s light heavyweight title as a turning point in his evolution.
Adesanya (21-1) rebounded from his first pro defeat in impressive fashion at UFC 263 when he defended his middleweight title for the third time in a shutout decision over Marvin Vettori in their rematch.
Not only was “The Last Stylebender” as dazzling as ever on his feet by controlling distance with feints and picking apart Vettori’s forward attack with relative ease, he showed an improved ability to work his way out of any potential issues on the ground after being taken down, which was the exact opposite of what happened against Blachowicz.
With the victory, Adesanya restored his reputation among the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world and continued him down a necessary path of building up more strength to defend against takedowns while the renown striker attempts to fully round out his game at age 31.
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Adesanya still looks to be a generational talent whose command of the finer points of striking remain second to none. While the jury is still out as to whether his lofty goals of one day finding the same kind of success at 205 pounds and above will come to fruition, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him one of the most dominant and talented middleweights the sport has ever seen.
An all-Oceanic rematch against former champion Robert Whittaker is likely up next as Adesanya continues to write his story in UFC lore.
For CBS Sports’ updated divisional rankings, click here.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
Dropped out: Deiveson Figueiredo
Just missed: Brandon Moreno, Petr Yan, Figueiredo, Justin Gaethje, Brian Ortega, Aljamain Sterling
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
Dropped out: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Just missed: Jedrzejczyk, Germaine de Randamie, Holly Holm, Aspen Ladd, Mackenzie Dern