Israel Adesanya recently opened up about his past feud with fellow MMA icon Jon Jones. For a long time, both fighters engaged in a heated rivalry, often trading jibes on social media.
Adesanya, who primarily competes at middleweight, had expressed interest in moving up in weight to face then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jon a few years ago. Similarly, ‘Bones’ had also shown interest in fighting Israel at light heavyweight.
However, when Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title in August 2020 to pursue a move to the heavyweight division. Plans for the matchup were put on hold. Adesanya even hinted at the possibility of moving up to heavyweight to take on Jones.
What happened between Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones?
Nonetheless, the fight never materialized, and both fighters continued to pursue their respective ambitions. Adesanya secured a victory over his arch-rival Alex Pereira, while Jon achieved his goal of becoming the heavyweight champion.
Surprisingly, last month, Jones revealed that Israel is his “favorite fighter” in the UFC, and he was enthralled by Adesanya’s two UFC fights against Pereira. When asked about his relationship with Jones during an interview on impulsive, Israel confirmed that their beef is now over.
Brother explain your titty 🥴 I was hiding from Nevada state Athletic Commission, not USADA and that was years ago.. I had just smoked a blunt and was afraid I would fail my test for weed 🤷🏾♂️ that’s the actual truth 😁Now everyone knows everyone
— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 9, 2020
The back-and-forth between Jones and Adesanya took place while Jones held the light heavyweight title. Israel even made an attempt to move up a weight class during Jones’ hiatus. However, he was unsuccessful in his quest to capture the 205-pound title, as he suffered a decision loss against then-champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
Israel Adesanya wants to settle the beef and train with Jon Jones
During the UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas, a fortuitous encounter between champions Israel and Jon had a significant impact on the middleweight champion.
Before UFC 290, Adesanya shared videos of him and Jones spending time together, engaging in playful sparring after years of exchanging trash talk. Following this unexpected meeting.
Israel Adesanya says training with Jon Jones is "in the works" after squashing their beef 🤝
📰 https://t.co/R7mmpVJ6bL pic.twitter.com/44G6YFDugM
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 17, 2023
Adesanya revealed that any animosity from his side is now resolved, and he expressed his intentions to train with the current heavyweight champion in the future. This chance meeting marked a game-changing moment for Israel’s perspective on his relationship with Jones.
“Yeah, [the beef is squashed],” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “We have understanding and common ground, we’re just competitors, bro. It’s like, why should I hate my brother?
“We definitely will [train together]. It’s in the works, it will happen.”
Jones is set to defend his recently acquired championship against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 295, taking place at Madison Square Garden in November.
As for Israel, the initial plan was for him to compete at UFC 293 in September, marking the promotion’s return to Sydney, Australia. However, the opponent for Adesanya’s bout has not been announced yet.
A twist occurred when Dricus Du Plessis scored a knockout victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 earlier this month. This result set the stage for a future showdown between Israel and Whittaker. Reigniting their rivalry and potentially shaping a significant matchup down the line.
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