The UFC middleweight division was left in a strange position following UFC 234. After UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was ruled out of the main event due to an injury, UFC middleweights Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva were then moved up to the main event of the night in Melbourne, Australia.
The fight ended by Adesanya defeating Silva via unanimous decision. Following that, many began to wonder what the intriguing fight between Adesanya and Whittaker could look like. There’s just one problem: Kelvin Gastelum was next set to fight Whittaker before the champion’s injury, and Adesanya getting the title shot would mean him leap-frogging Gastelum.