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

September 12, 2023 9:45 pm ET

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.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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