Getty Jon Jones in his fight against Dominick Reyes in their UFC light heavyweight championship bout during UFC 247 at Toyota Center on February 08, 2020.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is moving up to light heavyweight to challenge champion Jan Blachowicz in 2021, and after that, he would love to slap Jon Jones “across the face.” “The Last Stylebender” and “Bones” are entangled in a volatile feud that could be settled inside the Octagon next year as both fighters have shown interest in competing against the other.
Adesanya, who last fought in September when he defended his belt for the second time by defeating Paulo Costa at UFC 253, will try to become a two-division champion in his next fight. Blachowicz is the reigning light heavyweight champion, winning Jones’ vacant belt at UFC 253 by defeating Dominick Reyes.
During the UFC Vegas 12 post-fight press conference, president Dana White revealed to the media that the two will meet next.
In a recent interview with The Mac Life, The Last Stylebender was asked for his thoughts on why Jones hasn’t publicly spoken about Adesanya fighting for his old title. Jones vacated the belt earlier this year and is planning a move up to the heavyweight division.
“He is probably loathing and he’s probably waiting until… I don’t know,” Adesanya said. “I didn’t even know, I don’t check. But like, he’s loathing. It’s rubbing him the wrong way, I know it’s rubbing him the wrong way. So I’m like, alright say something stupid, he knows I got clips, I’m ready for him.”
Adesanya then said that he would like to fight and defeat Jones at light heavyweight, the weight class he ruled for years. The Last Stylebender would also want to fight Jones for the heavyweight title, should Jones end up winning it.
If he defeats Blachowicz and wins the light heavyweight belt, Adesanya imagines Jones dropping back down to the division. “It’s like, oh you took my old toy now I want it back, then [he] comes back down and I’ll slap him across the face,” Adesanya said.
Adesanya Doesn’t Care If Jones Moves Up to Heavyweight
The Last Stylebender is focused on himself, not Jones.
The middleweight champion was asked if he believes Bones will actually make the move up to heavyweight. “He still hasn’t got a fight matched up, has he?” Adesanya said. “He’s what, taking time to get accustomed to heavyweight when he’s been saying for the last 10 years he can beat any heavyweight, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I don’t know, don’t care. I’m still just doing me.”
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Adesanya & Jones Are 2 of the Best Fighters in the Sport
A fight between Jones and Adesanya is exciting for many fans as they are two of the greatest fighters in the sport. As per the official UFC rankings, Jones is No. 2 on the male pound-for-pound list and Adesanya is No. 3.
The Last Stylebender has a perfect professional record of 20-0 and has won three UFC title fights. Bones is 26-1 (1 NC), and his sole loss came via disqualification in a fight that he was dominating. He has the most title fight wins in the promotion’s history with 14.
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