Who would have thought that one of, if not the most exciting division in the UFC could become even more intriguing? The fog has cleared for the UFC middleweight title picture and with the current champ Israel Adesanya moving up a division to challenge Jan Blachowitcz for his light heavyweight strap, there couldn’t be a better time for this matchup.
Robert Whittaker
Former UFC Interim and Undisputed middleweight champion of the world Robert “the Reaper” Whittaker returns to action April 17th to headline a UFC fight night event. He faces former title contender Paulo “Borrachinha” Costa. Coming off a 2 fight winning streak against some of the division’s elite, Robert Whittaker is as ready as ever to once again contend for the top prize in the promotion but it may be a little while longer before Robert Whittaker can re-challenge for the throne of 185lbs.
Paulo Costa
His next challenge comes in the form of Middleweight powerhouse Paulo Costa. “Borrachinha” is coming off a loss to the champ himself but is looking to regroup against the previous champion. Before his only professional loss, Paulo was known for his wins against the likes of Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall but he is better known for his crazy genetics.
Middleweight Title Picture
Both fighters have suffered KO/TKO defeats against the champion but with Adesanya taking a hiatus from the division to challenge for another belt could we see an interim title being put in place for this bout? Over the next year, I imagine we will see a drastic change in the division’s title picture. With the likes of Kevin Holland, Marvin Vettori, and Khamzat Chimaev, the future of the division looks promising although Khamzat has jumped between 170lbs and 185lbs there is no doubt that he can be a threat to the top 15.
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Main Image Credits-
Embed from Getty Images, Embed from Getty Images
