Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
MMA Junkie Staff

Video: With intrigue added to division, who will emerge as Sean Strickland’s first UFC title challenger?

All it took was one huge upset to make the UFC middleweight division intriguing.

It had been growing stale given the number of contenders Israel Adesanya knocked off as champion, but he lost the belt in dominant fashion to Sean Strickland this past Saturday at UFC 293, and suddenly there’s a world of matchup possibilities at the very top.

You’ve got Dricus Du Plessis, who was originally supposed to challenge Adesanya but couldn’t because of an injury from his last fight eight weeks ago. Next month, Khamzat Chimaev could stamp his name with an emphatic win over Paulo Costa at UFC 294. Jared Cannonier, the UFC 293 backup who owns a win over Strickland, also has a case. And there is, of course, the chance of an immediate rematch between Strickland and Adesanya.

When the dust settles, who will emerge as the first challenger to Strickland’s belt? This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura break it down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.