Ateba Gautier names Israel Adesanya his dream opponent after UFC 328

Prospect eyes former champ next.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated May 101 min read

What happened: Ariel Helwani reported that Ateba Gautier called Israel Adesanya his dream opponent and said he has admired the former champion for years. The comment comes in the immediate aftermath of UFC 328, where Gautier fought on the Newark card and added fresh momentum to his rise at middleweight.

Why it matters: The quote matters because Gautier is trying to vault from prospect status into the Adesanya tier of the division. It also follows Wire.Report's earlier coverage of Gautier's latest UFC 328 statement win, making the callout a clearer signal of his intended next step.

By the numbers: UFC listed Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz on the UFC 328 prelims. Pre-fight listed Gautier as a heavy favorite, including at opening, on UFC's event page. UFC's pre-fight profile for Gautier said he entered 10-1 with a nine-fight win streak, eight wins by knockout, seven first-round finishes, and five knockdowns in four UFC bouts.

What to watch: Watch for Gautier's full post-fight media rounds and any response from Adesanya or UFC matchmakers. The next signal is whether the promotion treats this as a real callout or keeps Gautier on the prospect track.

Sources

@arielhelwani 2026-05-10T01:00:17.257531+00:00

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