Fresh off his interim Middleweight title-winning performance over Kelvin Gastelum at last Saturday’s (April 13, 2019) UFC 236 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Atlanta, Georgia (highlights here), Israel Adesanya is now looking ahead to a title unification match against division king Robert Whittaker later this year.
But “The Last Stylebender” is in the midst of making enemies in weight classes above him, and he is starting with the best-of-the-best. “The Last Stylebender” and current Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones have embarked in a back-and-forth social media battle that keeps escalating.
After Adesanya claimed he killed GOAT Anderson Silva and then vowed to do the same to “Bones,” Jon took exception by extending an open invitation for Israel to step into his jungle. He then followed it up a few days later by slamming Adesanya for avoiding questions about him during the UFC 236 post-fight presser (see it).
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, though, Adesanya took some time to address Jones, saying the 205-pound champion — and one of the best to ever step foot inside the cage — is only trying to steal his shine because he is now irrelevant.
“He’s a cunt. There is two variables that I never expected in this game; and that was to fight Silva and now it’s to fight Jones. So I have to adapt to that. And for me, I like a challenge. So he’s a cunt, and I say that because he is picking the time where I am supposed to get the most shine to come at me because he is irrelevant,” proclaimed Israel.
“No one really cares about him. I am everything he wished he was. I’m everything he wished he would’ve been.”
Adesanya went on to poke fun at Jon for always praising God while also living on the dark side at times.
“He’s all, ‘I want to thank God for whatever,’ meanwhile he’s in the bathroom (makes snorting cocaine gesture), and hiding under a cage to avoid USADA. I know some things, the street is talking and everyone knows what’s going on behind the scenes. So I am everything he wished he was.”
It seems like it was just yesterday that Jones was touting Israel as UFC’s next big thing.
That said, “The Last Stylebender” is adamant Jones is only trying to pick a fight with him now before his game improves drastically.
“If you’re going to beat me, you had to do it yesterday. Every single fight I am getting better, getting better. And there is only one reason he called me out, I know he’s a man of challenges; I’m not an easy fight but he knows if he is going to get me, right now is the time while I’m… I’m only a year and some change in the game,” said Adesanya.
“Imagine what I am going to be like in two years. He’s is trying to get this fight early so he has a better chance at beating me. But I am player one and I have the controller and that fight will happen on my terms. If he wants to come down to 185, hey, if you want to kill yourself doing it, but eventually I will go up and I like the sound of two belts.”
As much as some would like to see a showdown between Adesanya and Jones — this man included — that fight simply shouldn’t be discussed at the moment as Israel has more than enough challenges at 185 pounds to keep busy for a few years.
And the road only gets tougher from here.