Israel Adesanya claimed his place atop the UFC middleweight division as the undisputed champion on October 6, finishing Robert Whittaker in the second round via a thunderous right-hook counter at UFC 243. While praise has been rained upon the Nigerian-New Zealander for his consistently strong performances and charismatic showings, the main focus has been who he’ll fight next.
Even before Adesanya took the middleweight crown, he and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones had been verbally sparring, potentially teeing up a future fight. Before UFC 243, Jones claimed that he would “expose” the then-interim middleweight champ, with ‘The Last Stylebender’ following up by saying that Jones is a boss “I want to play against.”
What started as a little more than a cursory comment from ‘Bones’ Jones has erupted into a to and fro battle to hype up an almost inevitable bout down the line. Now, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has weighed-in on the debate. Having tangled with Jones twice in the octagon, losing once by unanimous decision and the other being ruled a no contest, Cormier knows Bones better than most.
Adesanya is too small for Jones, says Cormier
Jon Jones may go down as one of the greatest fighters to grace the UFC octagon, with his 25-1 record to many being read as an undefeated slate due to the controversial nature of his dismissal against Matt Hamill in 2009. Israel Adesanya, on the other hand, is very much the new and exciting kid on the block, having started his professional career in 2012, entering the UFC in February 2018.
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Despite the two huge draws being 6’4’’, Cormier sees the upstart middleweight as being too small for Jones. Bones’ former combatant says that people underestimate how big he is, as “he’s 225lbs [and] a lot of weight is up top”. Cormier continues, claiming “he’s so long that he almost hangs on you”.
The two are the same height, but a lot of Adeanya’s prowess in the octagon comes from his quick reactions, speed on the counter, and head movement. He may stand eye-to-eye with Jones, but Jones’ extra 20lbs is well stacked on his upper-body, as noted by Cormier, and he boasts a tremendous 4.5 additional inches of reach on the middleweight. These factors are all considered when determining the favorite in MMA betting and fight predictions, and as such, along with Bones’ experience and reputation, experts rate Jones as the favorite if the two were ever to meet – which seems extremely likely at this point.
If the middleweight champion and the light heavyweight champion do meet, it will most likely be in Jones’ division. But the audacity of Adesanya and his self-belief will certainly give him a chance if he puts on the weight well and without losing his elite-level fundamentals.
The verbal and social media sparring aside, a matchup between Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones would be one of the biggest fights staged by the UFC in a long time. The support for both combatants and the hype around the two would create an unmissable event.
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