MELBOURNE, Australia – If both emerge victorious at UFC 234, Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya will be the next UFC middleweight championship fight.

Current 185-pound titleholder Whittaker (20-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) puts his belt up for grabs against Kelvin Gastelum (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the event headliner, while unbeaten Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) meets octagon legend Anderson Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC) in the co-main event.

Adesanya vs. Silva has been officially deemed a No. 1 contender contest, and “Stylebender,” who hails from New Zealand, has said he would prefer to face Australia’s Whittaker in an all-Oceania showdown.

Of course, Whittaker or Silva could derail those plans with a victory, but UFC President Dana White agrees it would be a massive title bout for the region.

“That fight’s massive,” White told MMAjunkie. “That fight’s massive. We’ll see what happens on Sunday (Saturday night in the U.S.) and we’ll go from there.”

UFC 234 takes place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.

A potential matchup against the rising star Adesanya, especially after a victory over Silva, would be a signature fight for Whittaker. The commercial value would almost certainly be greater than his current fight with Gastelum, but the champ said he refuses to look past UFC 234.

“I’m not thinking that far ahead,” Whittaker said. “Sunday’s too close, too hard.”

For more on UFC 234, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Gallery Photos: Best of Robert Whittaker view 19 images