Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya would have been “grounded and pounded to death” if he fought a former champion at light heavyweight.
A major storyline in the MMA community in early 2021 was “The Last Stylebender’s” move up to 205 pounds to challenge then-champion Jan Blachowicz for the belt. Adesanya, who held an undefeated 20-0 professional MMA record, was poised to become a simultaneous two-division champion.
And while Adesanya was preparing for the bout, there was a lot of chatter about Adesanya fighting former 205-pound king Jon Jones after the Blachowicz contest. Both combatants were actively throwing shots at each other on social media, with both showing interest in the showdown.
GettyIsrael Adesanya celebrates his win over Derek Brunson and Jon Jones celebrates his second win over Daniel Cormier.
However, Blachowicz played spoiler to the superfight, defeating The Last Stylebender by unanimous decision at UFC 259 in March 2021 and sending Adesanya back down to middleweight. The hype behind “Bones” vs. Adesanya died and there hasn’t been much talk about it since.
Further, Jones is currently preparing for his heavyweight debut, two divisions above middleweight.
Well, Bones recently took a shot at The Last Stylebender via Twitter, predicting how the proposed fight would have gone. Specifically, he pointed toward Adesanya’s grappling ability, discrediting it.
Blachowicz won his fight with Adesanya by utilizing his wrestling during the championship rounds, controlling The Last Stylebender on the ground for large portions of the fourth and fifth frames.
“Jon, truthfully, how do you think a bout between yourself and Izzy would’ve went at LHW?” A fan asked Jones on Twitter.
“It’s been a really long time since I fought someone [with] such a low level of grappling,” Bones replied on December 4, 2021. “He would’ve got ground and pounded to death.”
It’s been a really long time since I fought someone was such a low level of grappling. He would’ve got ground and pounded to death
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Adesanya Bounced Back From the Blachowicz Loss By Defending Belt Against Marvin Vettori
The Last Stylebender didn’t wait long to try and put himself back into the win column. Three months later, Adesanya entered the Octagon to make his third 185-pound title defense. He took on Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 in June 2021 and defeated the Italian by unanimous decision.
It now appears Adesanya is preparing to fight the man he took the middleweight belt from, Robert Whittaker. The fight has not yet been made official.
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Jones Hasn’t Fought for Nearly 2 Years, Says Story Is ‘Far From Over’
It’s been nearly two trips around the sun since Bones fought in the UFC. His last match when at UFC 247 when he defended his light heavyweight belt against Dominick Reyes in February 2020. He vacated the belt months later in pursuit of heavyweight, something he’s been preparing for since.
This isn’t the first time Bones has been away from the Octagon for a long period of time as he has a history of legal issues and drug suspensions.
One MMA fan tweeted at Jones on December 4, 2021, saying Bones has wasted his “prime years.”
“Nothing is a guarantee my guy, even with years of inactivity I’ve been able to achieve some pretty outstanding records that are still holding to this day,” Jones responded. “And the story is far from over, I got a lot more winning to do.”
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Superstar Would’ve Ground & Pounded Israel Adesanya ‘To Death’