Israel Adesanya interested in fighting Stipe Miocic at heavyweight

UFC interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says he’s interested in moving up in weight for a superfight against UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

Speaking to Submission Radio before UFC 243, Adesanya and his coach Eugene Bareman were asked about their expectations for “The Last Stylebender.”

Always confident, Adesanya and his coach said they’d be interesting in eventually taking on the UFC heavyweight champion Miocic (h/t MMAMania.com).

“If you gave me a choice and said, you’ve got to give me a superfight, it’s gotta be a light heavyweight/heavyweight, then I’m taking heavyweight,” Bareman said. “It’s just different. There’s different things you can take advantage of that heavyweights do that the light heavyweights don’t give you. So like, if you want a show as big as you can get.”

Adesanya is so confident in his abilities that his coach says he would even be interested in skipping over light heavyweight entirely and making his way to heavyweight to take on Miocic.

“If they’re talking about you doing a superfight, then skip light heavyweight and go straight to heavyweight,” Bareman said. “No one’s done that. I think Stipe. Stipe would be the one I’d like to fight.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Adesanya agreed. “I like the way he’s thinking. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Of course, Adesanya first has to get by Robert Whittaker this weekend in the main event of UFC 243, and that’s no small task.

Miocic, meanwhile, is currently in talks for a trilogy fight against rival Daniel Cormier and has other heavyweight contenders to deal with first. But if Adesanya gets his way, eventually he’ll move up to the UFC’s heaviest weight class and challenge the champion there. But for now, his sole focus is on Whittaker as it should be.

Would you be interested in seeing a superfight between Israel Adesanya and Stipe Miocic?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/2/2019.