Israel Adesanya is willing to wait for as long as he has to for a shot at middleweight gold.

UFC 234 was supposed to feature a 185-pound title bout. Champion Robert Whittaker was set to defend his title against Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was forced to pull out due to a hernia in his abdomen. Adesanya vs. Silva was a number one contender bout. “The Last Stylebender” told reporters that he will wait for his shot at gold:

“In the long term, I’m the No. 1 contender. I’m the guy fighting for the belt. I don’t care. Kelvin or Rob, whoever it is. I’m fighting for the belt. Whoever has the belt, because I see Kelvin walking around with that belt and I don’t know who gave it to him. I’m fighting for the belt next — that’s all I know. I did my job, I showed up to work. I can wait for however long I need to, because I’ve done so much for the company. I’ve played my part. And I’m the No. 1 contender. ‘Jacare’ [Souza] can fight Kelvin. Oh, they already fought already. Get a rematch — I don’t care. I showed up to work, that’s all I know.”

Adesanya certainly appears to be in UFC president Dana White’s good graces. White said that Adesanya has all the tools to be a star in the making.