Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is all set to move up to light-heavyweight to challenge the division’s new titleholder Jan Blachowicz next, but he’s vowed he won’t be packing on muscle ahead of the switch.
“That’s Jon ‘Blow’ Jones downfall,” Adesanya told Submission Radio. “Like, ‘I need to move up in weight, pack on the size’. Some people are just stupid, they play the game so stupid. I’ve done it at kickboxing, I weighed in at heavyweight with my clothes on and a tray of Dunkin Donuts in my hand, and I was like 90-something kilograms. Like, skills, bro.
“Yeah, sure, you want to put on size? Alright. Is your body used to being that heavy? Are you used to moving around that heavy with the work-rate you were doing with all your previous fights? Yeah, I just don’t play the game like everyone else. I’ll just chill, I’ll stay me. I’m gonna get stronger, I always do, but I’m not gonna purposely put on muscle just so I can be at a weight class. Stupid.”
Adesanya may end up at a weight disadvantage against Blachowicz, who will cut weight just to make 205lbs, but it’s worth remembering that ‘The Last Stylebender’ has a good frame for the move, standing 6ft 4″ tall with an 80″ reach, which will give him a 2″ advantage in both of those metrics over the light-heavyweight champ.
