UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has declared his intention to clear out his own division before potentially moving up to fight in the light heavyweight division.
It's a move that has worked for some but, more recently, has been a humbling experience for those who have tried. However, should theKiwi star decide to make the leap from 185lb (84kg) to 205lb (93kg), Canadian light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov told the Herald he believed Adesanya would be well equipped to hold his own.
"It's easy to judge from the side, and maybe those guys have a little bit too much ego coming in," Cirkunov said of the recent unsuccessful light heavyweight debuts of the likes of Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman.
"First they lost at 185, then they're talking s*** about 205 and it's like 'hold on, this is bigger boys'. Taller, heavier, and it's not like they walk around at 205 – they cut down to 205. Now we're looking at a bigger gap in weight and just because some of the light heavyweights lose doesn't mean they can't fight.
"Assuming that you can just jump up in weight and start winning…some people can pull it off, but it's not for everybody.
"Israel is a special athlete. He's a phenomenal and very skilled fighter and he's also one of those guys that when he sees something good and something that can benefit him he's hungry to learn and hungry to adjust. He has a really cool personality; he doesn't have too much ego and is really open-minded so with that kind of personality and his athletic abilities the sky is the limit for him."
Cirkunov has been in New Zealand for the past few weeks training at City Kickboxing alongside Adesanya and the gym's depth of fighters. His trip Down Under, organised by Kiwi combat sports legend and Cirkunov's coach Ray Sefo, was twofold; it was a trip of self-improvement, but also to help fellow light heavyweight Sigi Pesaleli prepare for his upcoming appearance in the Professional Fighters League playoffs next week.
Pesaleli struggled in grappling exchanges in his most recent bout so being able to train with the UFC's No 14 ranked light heavyweight – an elite grappler – was extremely beneficial. For Cirkunov, it was a good opportunity for him to learn from the City Kickboxing stable and find out exactly what is behind the incredible success the gym has had in the UFC.
"It's not just the fighters," Cirkunov said. "It's strong leadership, good coaching, good structures, good systems and also, of course, hungry fighters. Everyone wants to be successful.
Israel Adesanya won the undisputed UFC middleweight championship at UFC 243 in October. Photo / Photosport
"They're definitely putting in the work, and when you mix good coaching with hard work you see high results. People didn't know who these guys were, now all of a sudden they've put themselves on the world map."
It's a part of Cirkunov's rebuilding project, which he began after a 38-second knockout loss against Brazilian Johnny Walker in March.
The 32-year-old got back in the winner's column in September, becoming just the second person to ever win a UFC bout by Peruvian necktie choke when he submitted Australian Jimmy Crute in the first round of their bout.
The win against Crute earned Cirkunov a US$50,000 performance bonus. He said it was a sign of things to come.
"I believe that I'm going to go on a really nice winning streak and I'm going to show some people some really nice submissions. I have a really strong grappling game and now that I'm in shape and got my power back, I believe that I can submit any human on this planet.
"I have a lot of cool submissions people haven't seen yet in the UFC."
