Israel Adesanya's head coach is all but ruling out the UFC world champion's next bout being a super fight with Jon Jones.
NZ UFC star Israel Adesanya. Photo: Photosport/USA Today
The Kiwi star retained the UFC middleweight belt in style in Abu Dhabi, securing a second round TKO win over previously unbeaten Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa.
The stunning nature of his performance, taking his professional MMA record to a perfect 20-0, fans and leading pundits alike had been going back and forth about who the 31-year-old could face next.
A significant escalation in Adesanya's war of words with American superstar Jones had led many to call for that fight sooner rather than later.
The UFC pound-for-pound No 1, Jones is considered by many the best the sport of MMA has ever seen and has a record of 26-1, with his one loss being a controversial disqualification for illegally elbowing his opponent.
But Adesanya's head coach at Auckland's City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman said the super fight would most likely have to wait.
Bareman reiterated the bout later this month between the man Adesanya beat to claim the undisputed title, Kiwi-born Australian Robert Whittaker, and third-ranked American Jared Cannonier, was where most of their attention was focussed.
"That will be Israel's next fight. If Robert Whittaker wins then it's going to be a rematch and if [Cannonier] wins then it's going to be that fight.
"Barring those two, then Israel has shown some interest in moving up to the next weight division (light heavyweight) to take on the champion of that weight division.
"Those are the options that are on the table at the moment ... it wouldn't be Jon Jones at this stage."
While there had been plenty of talk since about Adesanya's near-flawless performance, and who was next, there had also been lots of attention on his swollen pectoral muscle.
The muscle could be seen inflamed and drooping, leading to social media speculation about gynecomastia, a medical condition which can be linked to steroid use.
Adesanya had already categorically denied to ESPN having ever using performance enhancing drugs, while he and Bareman, had both laughed off the accusations.
Speaking from the Auckland hotel where he, Adesanya and several other CKB fighters and coaches were going through their two-week managed isolation, Bareman said they were getting closer to finding out what had caused the pectoral issue.
"We thought it might be a testosterone problem, a testosterone estrogen imbalance, but we've found out that's not the case at all.
"What we haven't had is an ultrasound or MRI on the local area but what we think we've narrowed it down to is some sort of damage right in that particular area, because if it's not a testosterone estrogen imbalance then it has to be either a tear, or possibly a cyst or something that's affected the nerve and caused the muscle to relax there.
"Unfortunately, because we're in quarantine, some of those scans we're not able to do until next week, so we'll have a more conclusive answer end of next week."