Israel Adesanya Warns Middleweight Rivals: ‘Their Cards Are Marked And Their Time Is Going To Come’

Israel Adesanya burst onto the UFC scene last month with an impressive win in his promotional debut at UFC 221.

Adesanya’s two round destruction of Rob Wilkinson put the rest of 185-pounds division on notice and he’s already got his second fight lined up in April against Marvin Vettori.

Speaking to MMANytt this past week, Adesanya made it clear that it’s the rest of the division that need to be wary of him and that he’s already seen plenty of evidence to suggest they are.

“I don’t see threats, I just see challenges and I always overcome them,” Adesanya said. “They’re all human. Being in the midst of it now, these guys have seen me around and they look at me as a threat. They see my work and I’ve called a lot of them out after the fight. These guys are snooping on my Instagram, peeking in my stories and some of them even accidently like things. They know.

“They’ve seen me at past events in the workout room and that and they just ignore me. Now they know who the f*** I am and they see me as a threat. I’m not telling you right now man, I can’t show my hand just yet. This is chess, not checkers and these guys know who they’re. Their cards are marked and their time is going to come.”

Whilst his next fight takes places in Glendale, Arizona, Adesanya is slowly but surely making his way towards a big fight night in Las Vegas. Whilst happy to admit it’s certainly a goal of his, Adesanya made a point of saying that he’s not one to go chasing money and that the reward of not having to work a mundane 9-5 job is enough of a return for doing what he loves the most.

“I’m going to f***ing run Vegas,” Adesanya said. “McGregor and Mayweather run it right now, but those number will be mine soon. I don’t chase money or numbers, they chase me. I keep the same energy and I stay who I am. I’m not trying to be anyone else and I’m having fun with this s***.

“I’m not supposed to be here so it’s a privilege, this is a fighters’ lifestyle. I love this life. I quit my job December 4, 2013. The next day I got on a place to China and I’ve never looked back. The thought of me going back to that place, being miserable, it’s just not me. It was soul sucking. Everything is a blessing right now so I’m just counting my blessings and counting my money. I’m moving forward.”

Adesanya’s next fight will feature on a fight card headlined by Dustin Poirier taking on Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night Glendale.