Israel Adesanya Refuses To Be Whittaker vs. Gastelum Backup
Israel Adesanya isn’t willing to play second fiddle to anyone.
Adesanya made a huge case for a 185-pound title opportunity at UFC 230 earlier this month (Sat. November 3, 2018). He defeated top-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson via first-round knockout with relative ease. After the fight, Adesanya has been campaigning for a shot at the middleweight throne.
Currently, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is slated to defend his strap against Kelvin Gastelum. Their fight will headline UFC 234 from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on February 10, 2019. Usually, the UFC will have a backup fighter in place in case something goes wrong with a title fight.
It looks like that role was recently offered to Adesanya by UFC President Dana White. However, speaking with the New Zealand Herald recently, “Style Bender” revealed that he shot the offer down:
“[White] mentioned it but I said no, I’m not about that.”
Adesanya seems to want to be the UFC’s first option when it comes to booking a UFC title contest. He doesn’t want to take the scraps of a fighter who can’t make the walk on fight night. Adesanya is currently undefeated in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
With his win over Brunson, “Style Bender’s” record improved to 15-0. The 29-year-old might need one more big win before punching his ticket to a 185-pound title opportunity.
