Det verkar som att UFC:s nya stjärnskott Israel ”Style Bender” Adesanya kan vara tillbaka i oktagonen redan i april.
Adesanya imponerade stort i sin debut på UFC 221, med en vacker TKO-vinst över Rob Wilkinson. Den 28-årige nyazealändaren är van att fightas ofta och säger sig vara redo redan nästa helg om UFC skulle be honom. Men helst skulle han vilja gå match på samma kort som vännen Daniel Hooker berättade han för Ariel Helwani när han gästade The MMA Hour i måndags.
I’m fresh. I could fight this weekend. I could fight next weekend. I’m trying to get on the same card as my teammate Dan Hooker, so we can fight on the same card and kill two birds with one stone; or kill two men with one stone. We’ll see. I want to fight as soon as possible. I don’t like being inactive. You might not know this but in 2016 I fought over 20 times. Name me another Western fighter — apart from the Thais because they’re crazy — but another Western fighter that can fight over 20 times in a year? MMA, kickboxing and I might have done two boxing fights as well.
Enligt ”Style Bender” finns det redan diskussioner om en potentiell match i april.
I’m not sure, I know it might be April from the word I got from Dan. But I don’t mind, short notice if someone falls out, I’m your guy
Han avslöjade att en idé om en match mot en TUF-vinnare har bollats runt, men han kan dock inte dra sig till minne namnet på den eventuella motståndaren.
I don’t know… I think they said he’s an Ultimate Fighter winner…I don’t know. He looks like Fabio, old and wrinkly, but I can’t remember his name. That was one of the names that was mentioned.
Hur UFC ska hantera matchningen av den spektakulära fightern har diskuterats flitigt sedan hans omtalade debut. Adesanya säger sig vara villig att ta några matcher mot lättare motstånd till en början men ser sig själv i topp 10 innan slutet av 2018.
They see what they’re messing with. You see McGregor now, in his second fight he foughtMax Holloway, the current featherweight champ, Max is no joke. The guy who they said won The Ultimate Fighter, that’s one of them. I wish I could remember his name now. We’ll see. I’ve never had the opportunity to be catered to by any company ever. I’ll take whoever, it’s all easy fights anyway. Probably at the end of this year I will be top 10. Once they see the next fight they’re going to say, ‘We can’t keep feeding him guys that aren’t on his level’. I don’t know. Maybe for three fights, yeah, I’ll whoop some guys, beat a few bums and then I’ll be into the top 15, then the top 10 and we’ll go from there.
Nedanför går det att ta del av intervjun i sin helhet:
