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
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