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

Israel Adesanya gets support from an old rival.

Mathew Riddle | Oct 16, 2023

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

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has offered words of support to Israel Adesanya, after "Stylebender" revealed he plans to take some time off from fighting.

Two-time middleweight champion Adesanya told 'The Rock' that he isn't going to fight "for a long time," following his defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September:

"14 months... four fights - as a champion," Adesanya exclaimed. "Before [the Strickland fight]... I knew I'm on the back end of my career so I was like 'I wanna do as many as I can, because I know when I'm done with this I'm gonna miss it, man.'

"...I'm not gonna fight for a long time, I'm definitely not gonna retire... but if I did, I'm fine, I don't need to prove anything else. ...I'm gonna heal myself up --- you won't see me fight for a long time."

In a post on October 15, Jones gave Adesanya a huge thumbs-up in his decision to step away from the octagon:

Hey @stylebender I just want to let you know I support your decision to take a break from fighting. Taking those last three years off was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Always put YOU first brother. Protect your heart, protect your mimd & spirit. Proud of you Champ.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 15, 2023

"Hey [Adesanya] I just wanted to let you know I support your decision to take a break from fighting. Taking those last three years off was one of the best decisions I've made. Always put YOU first brother. Protect your heart, protect your mind and spirit. Proud of you champ."

Jones himself took a long hiatus from fighting after his contentious fight with Dominick Reyes in 2020. Three years later, "Bones" achieved a title in another weight division and looks better than ever.

Adesanya and Jones are an unlikely kinship, as the two verbally sparred on many occasions - even threatening to fight each other in the octagon. However, they seemed to squash their beef back in July, and have supported each other ever since.

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Published Oct 16, 2023

MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.