Jacare Souza feels he is a better choice to serve as an alternate for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum than Israel Adesanya.

Souza and Adesanya both competed on the UFC 230 card. Souza finished Chris Weidman in the co-main event via third-round TKO. Meanwhile, Adesanya starched Derek Brunson in the first round on the main card opener.

Adesanya has made a case for getting a title opportunity and noted that Souza has already lost to Whittaker and Gastelum. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion said that Adesanya doesn’t impress him:

”He did a nice job. But what he did, I did better, and twice — and I’m not even a striker —, so what he’s saying makes no sense. He’s talking crap. Well, (Adesanya) is good, excellent, has a phenomenal future, is a phenomenal athlete, has a good game. But he didn’t impress me, no, because I did better than him. Twice.”

When Souza says he’s already topped Adesanya’s performance twice, he’s talking about his two victories over Brunson. Souza has finished Brunson twice, both in the first round. Souza’s first encounter with Brunson was under the Strikeforce banner.

Adesanya is riding the hot hand right now. He’s had a steady surge under the UFC banner and there’s no denying his potential to become the biggest star in the UFC’s middleweight division. This is due to his exciting fighting style and his brash personality. It’ll be interesting to see if he can shatter the glass ceiling.