Israel Adesanya headlined UFC 234, defeating former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva by decision.
The victory marked the fifth win in the UFC for Adesanya, who now proclaims himself the number one contender to the UFC Middleweight Champion.
“I’m the No. 1 contender,” Adesanya said after the event (via MMA Junkie). “I’m the guy fighting for the belt. I don’t care. Kelvin or Rob, whoever it is I don’t care. Whoever has the belt. Cause I see Kelvin walking around with that belt and I don’t know who gave it to him. I’m fighting for the belt next that’s all I know. I did my job. I showed up to work.”
UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker was scheduled to defend the gold against Kelvin Gastelum at the event, but a severe abdominal issue forced the champion to withdraw from the card.
Adesanya knows that he is in a position now to wait for the middleweight title shot to come to him.
“I can afford to do what I want right now,” Adesanya said. “I can wait out for as long as I need to because I’ve done so much for the company. I’ve played my part and I’m the No. 1 contender. ‘Jacare’ (Souza) can fight Kelvin, or they already fight – get a rematch. I don’t care. I showed up to work, that’s all I know.”
There is no word as to when Whittaker will return to action, as a minimum of four weeks may be needed for the champion to recover from surgery.
