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Without Any Challengers, Israel Adesanya Is Making the Most of the Extra Time on His Hands

Israel Adesanya has again reached even more rarified air in his career.

The reigning UFC middleweight champion is in the midst of an unfrequented stretch when he is likely to have more than seven months off in between fights. Since his last victory, a convincing unanimous decision against Marvin Vettori in June at UFC 263, Adesanya (21–1) now finds himself without any challengers for the belt.

“Hopefully I’ll have a new challenger soon,” says Adesanya, who has dominated the middleweight division. His next fight will be a rematch against Robert Whittaker, who he already defeated by knockout two years ago.