Don’t expect to see Tyson Fury step inside a cage anytime soon. Or ever for that matter.
The heavyweight boxing icon has been in a war of words with reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones after long-time commentator Joe Rogan suggested that ‘Bones’ would mop the floor with ‘The Gypsy King’ should the two ever be locked in a room with one another. Fury took exception to Rogan’s comments and snapped back at the podcaster with a profanity-laced response.
It didn’t take long for Jon Jones to chime in, opening the Octagon door and inviting Tyson Fury to step through it.
“Jon, you talk about being in a cage, I’m not a cage fighter, mate. I’m a boxer — the best boxer, actually,” Fury replied. “So if you want to come into a boxing ring and fight me, be my guest.”
Tyson Fury once again confirmed his disinterest in cage fighting while meeting up with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya on Wednesday evening in Australia. The two titleholders were backstage while attending the Joseph Parker vs. Djanjo Opelu boxing match in Melbourne. In the video clip, which you can see below, the two kings of their respective sports were incredibly cordial with one another, but during the interaction, Tyson Fury made it abundantly clear that you’ll never see him inside the Octagon.
What’s Next for Tyson Fury and Israel Adesanya?
Tyson Fury is still awaiting his next opponent after talks with multiple potential opponents, including Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr Usyk, failed to produce a matchup. However, recent reports suggested that the two heavyweight superstars could square off this December in Saudi Arabia as part of an event also rumored to feature Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua in the co-main event slot.
As for Israel Adesanya, the world is waiting with bated breath for an announcement regarding the UFC middleweight champion’s first title defense after reclaiming the crown with a second-round knockout of Brazilian boogeyman Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April. Dana White recently hinted that plans for Adesanya have already been made, but are yet to be announced. One popular theory is that ‘The Last Stylebender’ could be moving up to light heavyweight for a second crack at becoming a two-division UFC champion, challenging reigning 205-pound titleholder Jamahal Hill.