Stakes raised for Adesanya in big UFC fight
The stakes have officially been raised for Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 and the Kiwi sensation is not about to let his golden opportunity pass him by.
UFC president Dana White confirmed at yesterday’s pre-fight press conference that this weekend’s clash between Adesanya and mixed martial arts icon Anderson Silva would be for the middleweight No 1 contender position and the next shot at the title.
Silva had already been guaranteed a title fight should he get his hand raised at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne tomorrow. While it was widely assumed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ had been offered the same incentive, it seems White took some convincing.
‘‘After [UFC] 230 I texted him straight after the fight saying I want to fight this guy and he was like ‘pump the brakes’,’’ Adesanya said. ‘‘But when we had the meeting [last November] and spoke face to face I told him this ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve been doing this for a long time as well. So the cat’s out of the bag and I’m about to be champion, 2019.’’
The news continues Adesanya’s meteoric rise in the world’s premier MMA organisation. The 29-year-old Nigerian-born star has taken the middleweight division by storm over the last 12 months, winning his first four bouts to improve his overall record to 15-0 and shoot to sixth in the rankings.
Overcome Silva and it sets the stage for a dream trans-tasman showdown against middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, should the New Zealand-born Australian defend his belt against Kelvin Gastelum in tomorrow’s headliner.
Many fans in this part of the world are already looking ahead to that potential match-up and Adesanya made no secret of his desire to meet Whittaker next up. He even listed Sydney and Brisbane as possible venues.
But he insisted he was not looking past Silva, a former middleweight champion who holds the record for the longest reign in UFC history and is widely regarded as the greatest of all time.
‘‘We both have big tests ahead of us,’’ Adesanya said of his and Whittaker’s respective opponents.
‘‘I’ve seen the odds this week and I was like, ‘man, ya’ll must have forgot’. I think a lot of new fans weren’t around during his reign, what it felt like. You might have come around the Ronda Rousey era or the Mcgregor era. You don’t realise who this guy is.’’