It appears that the Israel Adesanya/Jon Jones rivalry is all but over. With Adesanya firmly remaining atop the middleweight division, and Jon Jones moved sixty pounds up from his old light heavyweight roost as heavyweight champ, the pair aren’t likely to clash any time soon. Perhaps that’s why Jon Jones recently named Adesanya his “favorite fighter” in the UFC.
Adesanya heard the news in a recent appearance on the Impaulsive podcast, and was incredulous. “That’s a lie. He’s not gonna put that out publicly, hell no.
Israel Adesanya Responds To Jon Jones Naming Him Favorite UFC Fighter
Really (it’s true)? Are you serious? No way… I thought you were lying… I don’t even like to talk about this sh*t, but for me, I’m all about growth. Growth is something you have to go through as a human being.
There was a point where we were (arguing). I came to the UFC and I felt like — it’s up to him to admit this — I felt like he was a fan, but then he was kinda like, ‘There’s another coming in this game and taking the shine.’
But there’s enough room for us to shine,” Adesanya continued. “We can be in our own lanes and be great. I’ve been a fan of Jon since I saw him at (UFC 94)…
We had beef, and for a few years it was like that… But real recognizes real, I’ll put it that way.” Jones’ exact words acknowledged their earlier beef. “In the UFC, my favorite fighter right now, I hate to admit it, I hate to admit it, but I would say Israel Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya, him and I are not friends but he’s probably the most entertaining guy in the organization right now. His whole story with (Alex) Pereira, that whole saga they had, it was probably the most entertaining thing I’ve seen out of the UFC in a while.”
It appears that, following Adesanya’s failed bid for the light heavyweight title in 2021, and Jones’ recent move up to the heavyweight division, any sense of competition between the two has dissipated. Once upon a time, Adesanya was gunning for Jon Jones’ 205-pound title.
Those days are gone, but perhaps Adesanya has another nemesis at light heavyweight: his old rival Alex Pereira is set to make a run for 205-pound gold, potentially setting up a UFC trilogy fight for the pair.
Do you think Jon Jones is telling the truth about Israel Adesanya? Who is your favorite fighter on the UFC roster? Let us know in the comments.
