The middleweight champion will make his first title defense against Yoel Romero in the UFC 248 main event on March 7 from Las Vegas.
Multiple sources confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Thursday following an initial report from ESPN quoting UFC president Dana White.
Following his stunning knockout to defeat Robert Whittaker to win the title this past October, Adesanya was expected to face Paulo Costa next but the Brazilian suffered an injury that will delay his return to action.
With that fight delayed, Adesanya turned his attention to Romero, who is a former two-time title contender in his own right.