Israel Adesanya
Upside With Win: Big. One of the most dominant middleweight champions of all time would reclaim his title and continue his march towards all-time status.
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Downside With Loss: Minimal. Although he’d have the first two-fight losing streak of his impressive career, he’s cleaned out most of the division ranked below him, notably No. 2 Robert Whittaker and No. 3 Marvin Vettori, both of whom he has defeated twice.
No. 5 Gilbert Burns vs No. 11 Jorge Masvidal
Gilbert Burns
Upside With Win: Minimal. A win over Masvidal would likely not be enough to push him past names like Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev, but it should keep him locked in the top five for now.
GREATEST HITS: Jorge Masvidal | Gilbert Burns
Downside With Loss: Also minimal. A loss would leave an opening for rising star Shavkat Rakhmonov to take his No. 5 ranking, but Burns owns a win over the No. 7 welterweight, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
