Israel Adesanya Meeting With Dana White About Possible UFC Title Shot

Israel Adesanya’s last fight may have earned him a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

Adesanya had his coming out party at UFC 230 last month in Madison Square Garden. He made quick work of top-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson, finishing Brunson via first-round knockout. After the win, Adesanya has been fantasy booked by mixed martial arts (MMA) fans against some of the elite at 185 pounds.

However, it looks like the next time Adesanya takes the Octagon, it could possibly be for a title. UFC President Dana White recently revealed to the Daily Telegraph that he will be meeting with Adesanya about a possible title opportunity. He could take on the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234 (via Newshub):

“It’s very possible, yes. That’s why he’s flying in here, Israel wants to meet with me and talk. When he read that I was flying in here this week, he said he wanted to come across and talk, and that’s awesome.

“That would certainly make the most sense. In fact, if these two guys [Whittaker & Adesanya] fight, it’s something I would really look at doing in a stadium here.

“Israel is one of those guys who, if he can deliver, if he can win a world title, he will be incredibly famous. And famous all over the planet, this kid can be incredibly big.

“I love everything about him. The way he talks, the way he fights … and the kid wants to fight every month.”

It would be an interesting move to give Adesanya a title opportunity so quickly. Brunson was essentially the first and only big name “Stylebender” has defeated. Albeit, he did it in dominant fashion and showed off some world-class striking in the process.

However, also at UFC 230, another middleweight made quite the case for a shot at the title. Jacare Souza knocked out Chris Weidman in their co-main event scrap to make quite a statement. It will be interesting to see what the UFC decides to do when it’s all said and done.