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“If Israel wins, and he really does want to fight Jon Jones, that’s a really big fight.”
Dana White is already stoking the flames for a possible superfight between Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya, but who can blame him?
Jones and Adesanya have gone back-and-forth in interviews and on social media for the past year, with the trash talk ramping up in the final days leading up to ‘The Last Stylebender’s’ highly anticipated middleweight title unification bout with Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.
Speaking to Sky Sports New Zealand ahead of UFC 243, White said Jones vs. Adesanya could be a ‘really big fight’ if Adesanya beats Whittaker the unify the titles and extend his professional MMA record to a perfect 18-0.
“Those guys have been talking smack back and forth,” White said told Sky Sports on Saturday, per MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew. “If Israel wins, and he really does want to fight Jon Jones, that’s a really big fight.”
“Israel Adesanya, obviously has been huge,” White added. “He’s a good-looking kid, he speaks well, and his fighting style is unbelievable. He’s got great kicks, knees, punches, elbows, and he’s worked on his wrestling. If he can stop you from taking him down, (and) if he gets taken down, he pops right back up.”
Jones, the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the most dominant light heavyweight champion in UFC history, teased that he as a ‘big fight announcement’ coming up but didn’t reveal an opponent.
UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya takes place this Saturday, October 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.