Former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has expressed openness to competing on the UFC White House card in June but insists he wants real mixed martial arts fans in attendance, The PUNCH reports.

The Nigerian-born New Zealand resident, who faces Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle on March 28, said he would only be interested in the historic event if genuine MMA enthusiasts could watch the fight live rather than just political dignitaries.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Adesanya said the venue’s prestige was less important to him than the atmosphere and connection with the audience.

“Maybe. It would be cool to fight somewhere historic, where nobody has fought before… I wouldn’t say no, but I hope there are some fans there, like, actual MMA fans,” the 36-year-old said.

“I don’t really want to fight in front of a bunch of suits who don’t really care about MMA, they just want to be there for the show… I want fans to be able to go to the fight and watch the show as well. Yeah, I wouldn’t say no. The timing does line up well.”

Adesanya, who is currently on a three-fight losing streak, has made it clear that his fighting motivations have changed as he enters the later stages of his career.

Speaking at the Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA gym in Thailand, he explained that winning UFC gold was no longer his primary focus.

“For me, it’s not about belts anymore. I got two shiny belts at home. They look good. I just want to fight. I just want to do things as I did on the way to the belt,” Adesanya said.

“I still fought really well when I was defending the belt, but I want to fight more freely. I want to try some risky sh*t as I used to.”

The former champion entered his bout against Pyfer as the betting underdog for the first time in his professional career, with oddsmakers giving him only a 47 per cent chance of winning.