UFC middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier explained why he called out former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for his next fight.

Gautier knocked out Ozzy Diaz in the featured prelim of UFC 328. It was an impressive knockout by the 24-year-old Cameroon native, and it’s the type of win that should earn him a big step up in competition after improving to 5-0 in the UFC with five wins over unranked foes.

Ateba Gautier Explains Why He Called Out Israel Adesanya

Following the fight, Gautier used his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan to call out Adesanya, the legendary former UFC middleweight champion. Then, speaking to reporters following the event, Gautier explained in detail why he called him out.

“Because I admire him a lot. He’s a good fighter, he’s a very, very good fighter. He’s an African brother. I really want to face him because I admire him. I’ve never met him, but I want to meet him in the cage,” Gautier said.

Gautier, a native of Cameroon, said that the Nigerian native Adesanya is famous all over Africa, and he believes a matchup between the two would be massive for the continent.

“He’s more than famous in Africa. More than famous. If you fight in Africa and they don’t know who this is, they don’t want to fight us. As a fighter, everybody knows him,” Gautier said.

Adesanya is currently the No. 9-ranked middleweight in the UFC. Though he is 36 and has lost four straight fights, he is still one of the biggest names in the division, so the callout makes sense. But the UFC may try to give Adesanya a more winnable fight next rather than feeding him to Gautier, who looks like he will be a middleweight contender for many more years to come.

Other Options for ‘The Storm’

Taking a look at the UFC middleweight division, there are a few other names that make sense for him.

One potential matchup actually fought at UFC 328 as well, in the form of Roman Kopylov, who took out Marco Tulio in a preliminary card bout. Although Gautier is not ranked in the top 15, he is one of the top strikers in the weight class, and he would no doubt be a step up in competition from the guys Gautier has been fighting. If the UFC matchmakers want to bring Gautier along more slowly, rather than giving him someone in the rankings, then Kopylov is the perfect fight.

If the UFC matchmakers want to give him someone in the rankings, then Adesanya is certainly a possibility, given he doesn’t have an upcoming fight booked. Other potential opponents include No. 11-ranked Jared Cannonier, No. 12-ranked Gregory Rodrigues, and No. 13-ranked Christian Leroy Duncan. All three of these fighters are excellent opponents, and none of them has a fight currently lined up. If the UFC wants to give Gautier a chance to fight someone with a top-15 ranking beside their name, then it’s possible these could be his next fight. But if Gautier has it his way, he’ll be stepping into the cage with Adesanya his next time out.