Israel Adesanya has an opponent in mind for his next fight. And no, it’s not Paulo Costa.

Instead, Adesanya is eyeing a fight with former UFC middleweight champion and MMA GOAT contender Anderson Silva.

Adesanya made his callout of the legend on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlcEvydl74D/?

“…or you guys want this fight instead?!
Yo for real…no bullshit, if not for @spiderandersonsilva I wouldn’t have looked at fighting from a different perspective. I was under the impression you gotta look like Paula to be a fighter. The Spider been fucking up muscled up beefcakes since ages ago as an lean aerodynamic man. He is still the g.o.a.t imo…
With that being said…I want #alldashmoke . Just cuz I’m a fan don’t mean you can’t catch these hands…and feets. So yes I am down…will do it fih di culture of fighting!
#babygoat #workuntilyouridolsbecomeyourrivals #enterthematrix #iwillattack” – Israel Adesanya on Instagram. 

Until recently, Anderson Silva was mired in a complicated situation with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Luckily, USADA found that Silva’s recent failed drug test was due to his ingestion of a tainted supplement, not the intentional use of a banned substance. As a result, Silva was only suspended for one year, retroactive to October of 2017. That means he can fight again this October.

“I am vindicated,” Silva said in a statement to Ariel Helwani. “The past nine months have been extremely difficult. I felt like my career and everything I had worked so hard for was dying and my future was hanging in the balance. I knew in my heart that I had done nothing wrong and fully cooperated with USADA during their inquiry to prove it. Today I have a renewed energy. My legacy is restored. I can focus on getting back into the ring and the next chapter of my life after fighting.”

Who do you think would come out on top in a clash between the legendary strikers Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/20/2018.