Some believe one time through is enough for a division champion. Not UFC middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya.

Adesanya, who was unsuccessful in his bid to win the light heavyweight title, wants to make a complete lap around the division. 

“The idea of lapping the division is what excites me,” said Adesanya, during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I want to do that. It’s not really about (Robert) Whittaker. It’s just about over-lapping everyone.

“That excites me.”

Adesanya has been unstoppable at 185 pounds since debuting with the UFC in 2018. He recently defended his title with a second victory over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263.

As Adesanya mentioned, Whittaker, a former champion, is expected to be his next opponent. The fight was scheduled for late 2021, but restrictions in the native home of both fighters has caused it to likely be moved to 2022.

“I’m kind of glad I have this time off because I really get to learn a lot more new skills,” he said. “Now, I really get to just up-skill the martial arts.”

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