Israel Adesanya Reflects on Missed Super Fight with Jon Jones

Former UFC Champ Israel Adesanya said Jon Jones thought of him as 'the next best thing' after Anderson Silva.

Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

Two of the UFC's biggest stars didn't always get along.

For years, neighboring champions Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones went back-and-forth over a super fight that never materialized. The light heavyweight champ at the time, Jones started to take aim at middleweight Adesanya in 2019, threatening to expose him (among other things) if they were to ever cross paths.

I can see you’re starting to sip your own Kool-Aid, I know how it feels, I’ve been there before. Only I was around 23. Just don’t become delusional kid, fuck with a beast like me and I will expose you.

— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 2, 2019

Jon Jones Offers Heartfelt Support to Israel Adesanya & His UFC Break

"It Was Almost Like Divine Intervention..."

Jones and then-champ Adesanya would eventually meet last year, not inside the Octagon, but in Las Vegas, with the UFC superstars unexpectedly squashing their beef in wholesome fashion.

"He called me out, and we actually talked about it. It was funny," Adesanya told Adam Carolla. "It was in Vegas, randomly. He was just next to me at a bar. It was almost like divine intervention, and we're just like, 'Oh, what the f***? Dapped up, hug, and then we just sat there and chopped it up."

Israel Adesanya had long been a fan of Jon Jones before arriving to the UFC in 2018, where his idols soon turned into his rivals.

While "The Last Stylebender" didn't end up sharing the Octagon with Jones at light heavyweight (fighting once there for the title vs. Jan Blachowicz), Adesanya did take on former middleweight champion Anderson Silva a year after making his debut.

UFC 234: Silva vs. Adesanya. / Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

Jones 'Always Wanted To Fight' Anderson Silva, Touted Adesanya As 'Next Best Thing'

With champ vs. champ fights not in full force back then, Jon Jones never got the chance to fight against Anderson Silva, leaving him to chase another talented striker in Adesanya for a time.

"He told me it was just because he always wanted to fight Anderson Silva," Adesanya said of why Jones initally called him out. "But then that fight went off, and he just thought, 'I'll fight the next level, the next best thing.' And it was you, so that's why he called me out."

Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones face off.

Via @freestylebender on youtube pic.twitter.com/IDiOw21ZwF

— Jimmy Luke (@Joshjoshmma) July 6, 2023

"We talked about everything and then we had a little play sparring match in the lobby.
That was fun too and it was good. I'm a fan. I've always been a fan, but then when he called me out, then we had that static."

No longer the UFC Middleweight Champion after back-to-back losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya will attempt to rebuild at middleweight while Jon Jones looks to defend his heavyweight title for the first time (and possibly the last) against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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