Is Jones Vs. Adesanya Gone For Good?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone after UFC 259 — which went down inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada — provided combat sports fans with an epic night of fights. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Megan Anderson, who was knocked out by women’s “champ-champ” Amanda Nunes in 122 seconds (see it again here).

And Petr Yan, who lost his bantamweight title after blasting Aljamain Sterling with an illegal knee (highlights). Then there was middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who came up short in his bid to dethrone light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz (highlights).

But when it was all said and done, it seems the mixed martial arts (MMA) community as a whole was feeling a bit blue post-UFC 259.

That’s because we may have lost a potential “super fight” between former 205-pound champion, Jon Jones, and “The Last Stylebender.” The two athletes have built up quite a rivalry thanks to their back-and-forth spats on social media, giving fight fans the hope that one day two of the best in the game would get to throw down.

But after Jones announced his move up to heavyweight, the promotion then decided to announce the Blachowicz vs. Adesanya title fight. Of course, Blachowicz was the underdog … again. As for Adesanya, a win would have raised his popularity (along with his stock). As far as the anticipation of a potential scrap against “Bones,” that would have gone through the roof.

Instead, Adesanya lost to the Polish bruiser and his undefeated MMA record went up in smoke. And a potential fight against Jones likely went with it, too. Shortly after the fight, “Bones” mocked Adesanya for the loss. Furthermore, he hinted that he was no longer interested in facing the 185-pound champion.

Sure, the promotion can still book the fight, but will it still have the same intrigue now that Adesanya suffered the first loss of his career, a defeat in his first bout at 205 pounds? Jones still has business to handle at heavyweight as he prepares to face the winner of the upcoming fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. Should Jones eventually beat either man for the 265-pound strap, his legacy will only increase, as will his rights to get the pick of the litter at both light heavyweight and heavyweight.

Adesanya is still the middleweight champion and one of the best fighters in the sport, so he will have plenty of work waiting for him at 185 pounds. “Bones,” meanwhile, can still very well give him the opportunity for a mega-fight. I just don’t think it will happen. Perhaps if Jones loses in his first fight at 265 pounds, it will even the scale again.

So I leave it to you: Do you still want to see Jones vs. Adesanya after this past weekend?