Dana White Guarantees Israel Adesanya Title Shot With Victory At UFC 234

We already knew Anderson Silva will get a title shot if he’s able to beat rising future star Israel Adesanya in the co-main event of this weekend’s (Sat., February 9, 2019) UFC 234 from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Now, Adesanya will be fighting for the same prize. That is, if what Dana White guarantees comes true.

White revealed at the outset of tonight’s UFC 234 press conference that Adesanya would also get a title shot if he defeats “The Spider”:

“Yeah, this is for the number one contender position. Yeah, this is it. This is for the number one contender fight. Yep.”

Legendary longtime former champion Silva reportedly wasn’t fully on board with facing ‘The Last Stylebender’ at first. True, Adesanya had taken the UFC by storm with four victories in 2018. But they weren’t against any names even close to the level of Silva. The 43-year-old legend believed facing Adesanya did little for the later years of his career.

That is, until White promised a title shot if he were to emerge on top. The odds would state that Silva is fighting with his back against the wall. He may be one of the greatest fighters to ever compete in the Octagon, but many sportsbooks have him as big as a seven-to-one underdog.

If what they’re predicting comes true, Adesanya will have his shot at the belt just as fast as ‘The Spider’ got his all those years ago. In that regard, the UFC middleweight division could truly come full circle.