Israel Adesanya Says He’ll Get Middleweight Title Shot Next Year
Israel Adesanya made his UFC debut this past February at UFC 221, defeating Rob Wilkinson by second round TKO.
Despite only competing once thus far in the promotion, a confident Adesanya feels a UFC Middleweight Title shot is coming his way in 2019.
“Probably next year; I feel it will be the end of next year,” Adesanya said on The MMA Hour. “I don’t know why, but I feel it will be me, and if Robert can hold onto the belt it will be me and him (at) Spark Arena. I’m even getting chills right now when I say it. Yeah, I’ve seen it and I can see it happening by the end of next year. I’ve even heard rumors that the UFC is coming back, so I might have to headline that one…we’ll see. I don’t even want to be a headliner. I don’t like fighting late but it’s part of the gig.”
Adesanya returns to action this April at UFC On Fox 29, with his opponent being Marvin Vettori.
The middleweight title isn’t even Adesanya’s top goal, as the bigger picture is to become a household name among UFC fans.
“The belt is not my main goal. The belt is just part of the thing: I’ve got to get the belt so I get more money and become more of a household name, get on Jimmy Kimmel and all that sh*t,” he said.
UFC On Fox 29 takes place on Saturday, April 29 from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona with Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox.
