Wrestling In WWE Is On Israel Adesanya's Bucket List (When He's Done Fighting In UFC)

While the bulk of the attention concerning the announced merger between WWE and UFC has been around whether Vince McMahon will be backstage at any given "WWE Raw" or "WWE SmackDown," another important side effect of the merger is the potential for crossovers between WWE and UFC. And it's something that has UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya very excited. In a recent ESPN profile on the merger, several UFC stars were asked about it, including Adesanya through his manager Tim Simpson. And Simpson, himself a wrestling fan, made it clear that Adesanya doing something with WWE wasn't so much a question of "if," but a question of "when."

"It's on his bucket list, for sure," Simpson said. "He wants to [do a match]. He's been very disciplined. We've had acting opportunities turned down. He's been very disciplined about being an athlete. Because he knows that's all in his future. So, I can't see him doing it while he's still competing. But in the future? Definitely bucket list." Those who have followed Adesanya's rise in UFC have seen glimpses of his wrestling fandom, from incorporating wrestling moves into workouts to using taunts from both Booker T and Batista following victories. Adesanya's most notable nod to wrestling came at UFC 276, when he walked out to The Undertaker's theme music prior to defeating Jared Cannonier in five rounds.

As Simpson noted however, Adesanya has a few other things to take care of before he leaves the Octagon for the wrestling ring. That includes defending that UFC Middleweight Title, which he regained this past weekend at UFC 287 after finally defeating longtime rival Alex Pereira, following three straight defeats in UFC and kickboxing.