Former UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones doesn’t think it’s a good idea for middleweight champ Israel Adesanya to fight him.
Adesanya suffered his first career MMA defeat on Saturday, dropping a unanimous decision to light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. It was Adesanya’s first trip up to 205-pounds in the UFC and his bid to become a double champ was halted by Blachowicz’s grappling, specifically in the fourth and fifth rounds.
City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman, Adesanya’s head coach, recently spoke with Submission Radio about “The Last Stylebender’s” loss to Blachowicz.
Bareman maintains that although Adesanya lost to the Polish fighter, a potential fight between him and Jones hasn’t “fizzled” out. Jones and Adesanya are two of the biggest stars in the sport, and along with their dislike for each other, the PPV would likely be big business for everyone involved.
“This fight had nothing to do with Jon Jones.” Bareman said via MMA Island. “The choice to take it had zero to do with Jon Jones. Jon Jones as a fight hasn’t fizzled away, Jon Jones is a businessman. Jon Jones understands how the PPV market works, and he understands where the money is. And that’s why this fight doesn’t fizzle away. Because at the end of the day, if it makes money it makes sense. Jon knows who the biggest star in the sport is at the moment. And who can get him paid the most. That is why the fight won’t fizzle out.”
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Jones Said Bareman Doesn’t Care About Adesanya’s ‘Well Being’
“Bones” doesn’t seem to feel the same as Bareman, however. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Jones responded to the head coach’s comments, commenting on Adesanya’s inability to stop Blachowicz from getting the fight to the ground in the championship rounds.
Jones also pointed out that he’s a lot bigger than the “Prince of Cieszyn” with great wrestling.
“Give it up coach, we’ve all seen your cards, your boy has almost no take down defense or offense off his back,” Jones tweeted, “Now you’re just being a cloud trout, if you would honestly send him in there against a 260lb wrestler after that last performance, you don’t care about his well being.”
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UFC Superstar Jon Jones Takes Aim: ‘Give It Up’